Mozart’s Spirit
by P.A. Lovas
Summary: Lavi didn’t look cold in the slightest. In fact, the way he kept tugging at his scarf and the small uncomfortable breaths he took made him appear overly warm. Allen, on the other hand, was shivering. Lavi/Allen with some Kanda/Linalee
1. Chapter 1

Mozart's Spirit

(A D.Gray Man fanfiction)

By P.A. Lovas

Pairings: Lavi/Allen.

* * *

1.

The sky blazed in hues of indigo and orange as the sun set over grassy hills. A small Venetian village blinked with lights in cozy, cookie cutter houses, though the occupants were no longer there. The residents had either fled at the first sounds of combat or had crumbled to nothing, only leaving behind clothes and dust, or more gruesomely, become twisted corpses under the ministrations of the invading demonic army. The only signs of life were warm fires still crackling behind the stone hearths and the meats and soups and stews left behind were still giving off swirling puffs of steam.

"It looks like everybody might come back at any moment," Linalee said, wrapping her arms around herself, shivering slightly. No matter how often she came across this scene it never got easier to stumble upon. It was like a still painting of a tragedy, life cut down in its prime.

"They won't," said Allen, his voice holding none of the brightness and love that usually shone around the edges, ringing in a deep, golden timbre. Instead, his normally too wide eyes were narrowed to burning silver slits and his words were edged with anger. "My eye won't activate. They're long gone." He shook his head, running a gloved hand over the restaurant's bar. He eyed one of the glasses, whiskey, most likely. Condensation dripped lazily to pool on the surface of the bar. He ran a finger around the rim before tipping the glass over, watching the liquid spread over the surface before running over the edge and onto the floor. One last drink for all the lost souls.

The pair stepped out into the night, sucking in breath as the cold air filled their lungs. They both pulled their black coats more tightly around themselves, trying to ward off a bit of the chill.

"Let's move to the next town."

"Wait, Allen-kun," said Linalee, taking off after him. "We're not staying here?"

Allen turned to his companion, holding her gaze steadily. "There's too much poison in the air. Me, you, Krowly, and Kanda would be fine, but we also have Lavi and Bookman with us."

"Sorry to be such a drain on the team." Allen looked up to the roof of restaurant, not surprised in the least to see Lavi perching at the end, his scarf wrapped over his nose and mouth. Almost like a vibrant, red bird, Allen thought. Maybe a parakeet? He certainly did talk enough.

"I didn't say that."

Lavi laughed and jumped down, landing gracefully next to Linalee. "You heard him say it, right?"

Linalee giggled. "He did say it, though I think you're being overly sensitive, Lavi."

"Perhaps." Lavi thumbed his nose below his scarf, laughing. "Ok, I'll forgive you, Bean sprout."

"It's Allen!" He glared at Lavi who simply laughed and messed his hair. "Stop that." Allen ducked away, and began combing his fingers through his white hair. The two strands that framed his face were almost down to his shoulders, and the strands in the back tickled at the nape of his neck. It was longer than it had ever been and he made a mental note that he should get it cut when all this was over.

"Che, primping little bean sprout," Kanda said, turning the corner, Krowly in tow. The two were a rather impressive sight, Kanda's smooth looks radiating annoyance and apathy while Krowly loomed over the group, looking foreboding and not quite human. His innocence had activated, most likely as a result of the residual energy left behind from the destruction, causing his appearance to resemble that of a vampire ready to feed. Every since he'd woken from his coma, Krowly's Innocence seemed to be even more sensitive to the Akuma, and this facade was becoming more and more customary.

"Yuu, you're alive!" Lavi cried out happily, throwing his arms out. Kanda threw him a black look, causing the other boy to drop his arms and take a step back. "Well, it's good to know he's unfazed by all this," Lavi whispered to Linalee, who tried to suppress a laugh. Last thing she wanted to do was end up blacklisted along with Lavi and Allen. It was scary enough being on friendly terms with the man.

"You find anything?" Allen asked, already knowing the answer. Kanda and Krowly both shook their heads.

"Not a thing," said Krowly. "It's the same there as it is here. Everybody's missing."

"They're not missing." Kanda seemed to spit his words. "They're dead."

"Forgive me," Krowly said, hanging his head.

It was an amusing site, seeing Krowly yield to smaller, younger Kanda. Allen smiled, and placed a hand on Krowly's shoulder, having to stretch a bit in order to do so.

Linalee followed Allen's lead and tried to sooth her troubled friend. "It's ok, Krowly. Kanda is upset at the situation, not at you."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Linalee gave him a sweet smile and laughed. "Nothing at all." Kanda simply sighed and let it go.

"Look, I don't mean to ruin the fun, but it's really friggin' cold out here," Lavi piped up, rubbing his arms for emphasis. "Gramps already headed to the next town to give our report, so we should head in that direction. Besides, I'm starting to get a little lightheaded here."

The group nodded in agreement and all started moving along the cobblestone roads. Though Linalee wondered over what Lavi had just said. The boy didn't look cold in the slightest. In fact, the way he kept tugging at his scarf and the small uncomfortable breaths he took made him appear overly warm. Allen, on the other hand, was shivering.

* * *

"Ignorant fool!"

"Ow, what the hell, Gramps?" Lavi clutched at his head where it had cracked against the wall as he had recoiled from the kick Bookman imparted.

Bookman simply stood, the shortest of the group, old and a bit withered, but dark and intimidating. At least, he was after publically and violently bashing his student. "The meeting time was over two hours ago, Idiot."

"Yeah, well, we went to the wrong Hotel. There are three of them here. We found the first two alright, but the last one…"

"You got lost." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah," Lavi sighed.

"And that's why you're an Ignorant fool. It's your job to be the cleverest of the group, not lead them to their unknowing deaths." It was an exaggeration, Lavi knew that. But as he looked at his teammates, he still felt incorrigibly bad.

Kanda sat at the table, his coat draped over him, hair undone and streaming over his back and shoulders. He was frowning a little more than usual, but as this was Kanda, Lavi was sure he was fine.

Linalee was fairing about the same as Kanda, evidently less than happy. But she had a mug of tea between her hands, sighing gratefully as she sipped at it. Krowly was also nipping at his tea, though it obviously didn't please him nearly as much as it did Linalee. He was frowning into his mug, probably wishing it was wine, blood, or perhaps even liquid steak.

Allen was definitely in the worst shape. He sat in the darkest corner of the room, where he had wrapped himself in the bed sheet, head buried in his knees. Even from across the room, Lavi could see the boy was shivering almost violently.

Lavi walked over to Allen, and crouched down. He waited until he was sure Allen felt his presence before dropping a hand along the curve of his neck. "Allen, I'm sorry." The white head shook left to right but he didn't look up. A silent "don't be", knowing Allen.

Lavi smoothed back Allen's hair from his forehead, testing. "You don't feel like you have a fever. You want Gramps to take a look at you?" Allen simply shook his head again. "You sure?" A nod.

Lavi caught eyes with Bookman, giving him a significant look. The look was returned, meaning the Old Man understood. Keep an eye on him.

Linalee watched the exchange over the rim of her cup, raising a delicate eyebrow in question. "Is everything alright?" she asked, looking in Allen's direction. Her worry was evident in her face, and Lavi waved it off. No need for everybody to badger him with concern, at least until Lavi was sure there was something to be concerned about.

"He's fine. Just a little hungry so I'm gunna go grab some food for everybody." Lavi was startled as Linalee jumped to her feet and began zipping up her coat.

"I'll come with you." Lavi opened his mouth to protest. "How are you going to carry enough food for both Allen-kun and Krowly?"

Lavi laughed as he tied his scarf on. "True enough. Ok, welcome aboard the team."

Linalee laughed. "Glad to be of service."

Lavi was truly glad to have the girl along, he realized as they laughed and joked as they walked to through the stores. It was easily discovered a long time ago that Allen and Krowly's appetites made it too expensive to eat out when they had a budget. Though, luckily, it seemed that it was quantity, not necessarily quality that satisfied them. So they stocked bags full of breads and fruits and dried meats, as much as they were able to carry comfortably.

"Wait a sec for me, k?" Lavi said as he stopped suddenly. Linalee gave him a questioning look as he dropped his bags at her feet.

"You better not leave me to carry all these!" She shouted after him, and he waved over his shoulder, signifying that he heard. She watched as he entered a store, the sign written in Italian, but it had a small bottle and medicine bowl etched underneath. She gave Lavi a knowing look as he came out a few minutes later.

"What?" he asked, looking genuinely confused. Though this was Lavi, and she knew that look could be forced.

"I thought you said he was fine."

"He is," Lavi said, sliding the purchase into his pocket. "This is for me. You see, I've just had this terrible cough lately."

Linalee raised an eyebrow, her hand on her hip. "Lavi, I haven't seen you cough once since we left. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen you sick."

"Hm, I wonder," he said, picking up the bags he had left at her feet. "Must be all the medicine I take."

Linalee shook her head. As much as she enjoyed him and his company, she always felt he was a bit of an enigma. You never quite knew what he was thinking, and that made her a little nervous. But they had all this food, and Allen had looked awful before they left. So she resigned herself to wondering and followed in Lavi's wake.

* * *

"We're back," Lavi called as he fell into the room. The weight of the bags he carried toppled him ungracefully and sent the fruit spilling across the floor in colorful waves. Krowly looked down as an apple rolled to his feet. He picked it up, shining it against his shirt. Once satisfied, he bit into the flesh and ate the apple, core and all.

"Lavi, get out of the door!"

"Yes, yes. Sorry Linalee." Lavi picked himself up, and began gathering the spilled food. "Allen, dinner time!"

"He's not here," Kanda said, catching the pear that was tossed to him.

"Huh? Where is he?"

"Bookman took him into the other room," explained Krowly, pushing Lavi aside to rummage through the bags. "He didn't look very good. Very pale."

"Well, you're certainly one to point out somebody being pale, Kro-chan."

"Hmph. I'll remind you not to call me that. My name is Arystar Krowly III and-"

Lavi threw a hand up, saying "Yeah, yeah, we know, Kro-chan. Look, I'm going to go check on Allen. We'll pick this up another time, right?"

Krowly snorted as Lavi threw him a smile before leaving the room. "So impertinent," he muttered around a mouthful of food. Kanda and Linalee both heaved a sigh, nodding in agreement.

* * *

Bookman looked up from his needles as Lavi entered the room. He met his eyes briefly before continuing his ministrations. He was currently holding Allen's arm, placing his needles into what Lavi knew were critical points, though they didn't seem to be helping the boy any. Allen was as pale as Krowly had said, in fact, even more so than he had imagined, though his cheeks were flushed with fever. His breathing was ragged and a sheen of sweat was coating his skin. All in all, he looked bad.

"What's wrong?" Lavi asked, his eyebrows knitting.

"I'm not sure," Bookman replied, slipping his needles back into their case. "I haven't seen a fever this bad in a while. Even Lina-jou's fever from the Akuma poison was not nearly this bad."

"What do you mean? Linalee was half dead by the time I got her to you." Bookman frowned as he heard panic seep into Lavi's voice.

"Yes, however it had taken her a few days to get to this point. Allen Walker has escalated to that point in a few hours."

"Well, so fix him like you did for her." Lavi froze as Bookman shook his head. "Why not, you useless old man! You're telling me that this is it?" Bookman pierced Lavi with a stare, freezing him cold. Lavi hung his head, trying in vain to calm himself, but his fists shook at his sides, giving him away. "So there is seriously nothing we can do?"

"I didn't say that. If you calmed your raging for a moment, and listened, you might have let me explain." Lavi looked up hopefully into Bookman's kohl rimmed eyes. "I've managed to suppress the fever for the moment, which will buy us some time. You keep watch over the boy and let me know if he worsens."

Lavi nodded, looking on as Bookman gathered his equipment, tucking it into his pockets. "Hey, Gramps," Lavi called after him. Bookman stopped, peering over his shoulder at his apprentice. "Buy us time for what?"

He tried to brace himself for what he knew Bookman would say. "To find out what's killing him."

* * *

Questions, Comments, Crits and Love are always appreciated. Thanks for reading :3 


	2. Chapter 2

Mozart's Spirit

(A D.Gray Man fanfiction)

By P.A. Lovas

Pairings: Lavi/Allen, with some Kanda/Linalee.

(rating subject to change as story progresses)

* * *

2.

Thank God for the Old Man.

For the hundredth time that morning, Lavi gave a silent thanks to whatever God, spirit, or ghost had decided to let Bookman tag along on this mission. He didn't think he could ever feel such a powerful wave of relief as he did when Allen's breath had steadied and his eyes opened beneath thick lashes. Between Bookman's acupuncture and the medicine that Lavi picked up, Allen seemed to be in better spirits. The only hints that remained of his condition were the flush to his cheeks and the slight pinch around his features, but his smile was real and he was awake.

"Allen-kun, sit still," Linalee scolded through a laugh. She had managed to corner the boy as soon as Bookman deemed it safe for him to have visitors. She was currently sitting cross-legged on the bed next to him, twisting strands of his hair into tiny braids, much to Allen's protest.

"Who would sit still for this?" Allen asked, frowning as Linalee tugged on his hair. "Ow, Linalee!"

"I told you to sit still. There, all done." She held up a small hand mirror that she had taken from the vanity table. "See that wasn't so bad."

Allen hung his head, pushing the mirror aside. "I look like an idiot," he moaned.

"How's that different from usual?"

Glaring at Kanda, Allen stuck out his tongue. "You're one to talk, Mr. Straight-Cut-Fringe."

"Call me that again, Bean sprout, and _I'll_ kill you."

Allen's eyes darkened and his lips spread into a sinister grin. "What was that? I couldn't hear you over your girl bangs."

Lavi stepped forward as Kanda made a motion to the sword sheathed at his side, and placed a hand on his arm, obstructing. "Easy there, Yuu. He's sick, remember?"

Grey eyes narrowed, but he let his hand drop from the hilt. Kanda crossed his arms and let out an exasperated breath, returning to his former position of leaning against the wall. "Stupid rabbit."

Lavi laughed a small, nervous laugh.

"Here we go," said Krowly as he entered. He seemed to make the room seem even smaller in accommodation with his height. He handed Allen a plate piled with peeled fruits and meat. "You need to keep your strength up."

"Thank you, Krowly," Allen said. He laughed nervously as Krowly stood over him, watching, so he took a slice of apple. He made a show out of eating it, smiling and proclaiming it "Delicious".

Krowly clapped his hands together, and smiled brightly. "I'm glad."

Lavi watched the scene, arms crossed behind his head lazily. But he stared at Allen for a minute, his visible eye bright green and serious.

Allen just looked back, holding his gaze with a questioning one of his one. He squirmed a little, before tucking his head down. That eye was invasive in its scrutiny, piercing and all knowing. Sometimes, Allen felt that Lavi could see into your mind, and knew exactly what you were thinking. Sometimes, it seemed insidious and a little scary. And sometimes, like now, Allen was eternally grateful for the Bookman's ability. Apprentice Bookman, Allen reminded himself, as he watched Lavi shoo everybody out of the room with big, sweeping motions of his arms.

Allen breathed a little sigh of relief as the door clicked closed, separating him from his friends. Well, most of his friends. He gave a small smile as Lavi pulled up a chair near the bed, an arm's length away. Lavi turned the chair around, dropping into a straddle as he leaned his chin into his arms.

They simply watched each other, occasionally averting eyes to something else; the bed, the window, the floor. When Allen finally looked up again, Lavi was smiling at him, a warm, comforting smile.

"Thank you for that," Allen said, motioning to the door. He ran a hand through his hair, a frown touching his lips as his fingers tangled into the braids. "Damn it."

Lavi laughed and leaned over, grabbing onto a braid and began the slow process of untangling. "Man, you really made a mess of this."

Allen groaned. "Just hurry and get them out."

"Yes, sir. Your wish is my command," said Lavi. His fingers worked quickly, almost expertly, through the braids.

Allen sat very still, wincing when Lavi pulled his fingers through the more grievous knots. "You're surprisingly good at this."

"I'm surprisingly good at a lot of things." His lips were smiling though his voice was serious.

"And oh, so humble," Allen replied, his hair receiving a small tug in retaliation. "Ow, stop that."

"As you wish," laughed Lavi, running his fingers through Allen's now untangled hair. "I'm done anyway."

Allen pouted for a moment, rubbing at the spot where his scalp had just been mildly abused. "Thank you," he finally said.

Lavi smiled saying, "Well now you owe me."

Allen raised an eyebrow, skeptical. "Ok, what do I owe you?"

Lavi continued to smile as he pushed the plate of food at Allen. "Eat."

"But-"

"I get it," Lavi said, his smile vanishing as he shook his head. "I kicked everybody out because it'll be easier if you don't have an audience, but I still want you to eat something."

Allen felt his face flush, though whether from the fever or Lavi's words, he wasn't entirely sure. So he simply nodded his head and picked a small piece of pear from the plate. He nibbled along the edge. "It's good."

"Allen, you don't have to put on a show for me." Lavi sighed, pushing Allen's bangs aside. He brought his hand to his forehead. "I'd be happier if it went down a little more," he murmured, clicking his tongue, obviously displeased.

"I'm sorry," Allen said, trying not to focus on how close the other boy was. Allen had been sick a few times before when Lavi was around, and it was always the same. He was part doctor, part mother, and, sometimes it seemed, part lover, when he would run his hand down Allen's cheek or palm the back of his neck. But this was Lavi, and his actions were never just simple motions. There was always a hidden agenda behind his touch.

Lavi pulled his hand away. "Don't be. This isn't your fault. In fact, I should be the one apologizing to you, keeping you out in the cold like that." Lavi shook his head as Allen was about to protest. "I know, I know, this isn't so simple as to be my fault. But I'm sure that didn't help matters any. So, just shut up and accept my apology, 'kay?"

Allen nodded, biting into a piece of bread to stop from smiling. Somehow, it was little things like this that made him feel so comfortable around Lavi. No matter how much smarter he was or how much more he knew, when it came to his friends he would always blame himself for their hardships, saying that he "should have known better". It was such a human flaw and there's no logic in the face of love, right?

Lavi sat quietly, flipping through a book as Allen ate. He had long since gravitated over to the bed, saying, "It's easier to read if I'm not all scrunched up." Allen didn't mind, and scrambled to the side, giving the other boy room stretch out.

After an hour of trying to force feed himself, Allen gave up. It was just making him feel worse with each bite he took and he was starting to feel a little lightheaded. He pushed the plate to the side, nudging it further away with his foot. He noticed Lavi looking up from his book, frowning a little as he eyed what was left on the plate. But he didn't say anything, just raised an arm. Allen felt relieved once he realized he wasn't in trouble and he laid next to Lavi, curling under his arm.

"It's pretty lonely when you're sick, hm?" Lavi's voice was cool and kind over the top of his book.

Allen nodded, knowing that Lavi would see it. He saw everything. Sighing, he snuggled deeper into his friend's side. "You're warm." He could feel Lavi's body shake lightly with a laugh.

"Gramps says I have an unusually high body temperature."

"Probably from all the fire," Allen mumbled as sleep started to cloud his words.

Lavi laughed. "Gramps says the bigger the fool the higher their body temperature."

"Mm hmm. That's true." Allen's eyes were drooping heavily, and he could feel as sleep started to steal over him.

Lavi's arm tightened around him, and he leaned over to whisper, "Get better, k?"

Allen tried to nod, or tell Lavi not to worry, but he only succeeded in making a small noise at the back of his throat. But this was Lavi, so Allen knew he got his message across.

* * *

The afternoon air was crisp and cool, not the deep, biting cold that Linalee knew would come later. She wondered over what difference it would have made if they had reached the hotel in the light, midday chill instead of the nipping cold of midnight. Would Allen still be sick? She figured it couldn't have been a simple 2 hour walk that pushed him into this illness. This idea was validated by Lavi's mother-hen nurturing and the basic fact that Bookman has locked himself away in his and Lavi's room, only emerging to poke at Allen, testing or looking for something. He would frown and grumble incoherently to himself before returning to his room with a slam of his door. 

She wasn't a stupid girl. She could see all the signs. There was a similar look in Lavi's eye now as there had been back when she had been sick with fever. The worry and the care was the same, without his usual teasing and fun. That meant this was serious; as serious as it had been with her. Which meant Allen was probably dying.

She shivered as that thought crossed her mind, feeling tears burning at her eyes. It's true that last night he looked like he was on death's door, but hadn't Allen been fine just a little while ago? He was laughing along with her and Krowly, and even goading Kanda into small, bickering fights. But Lavi had stayed suspiciously quiet throughout the whole ordeal, watching everybody with what they had all dubbed his "Bookman-eye". And he seemed to know something about Allen that she didn't, which caused her, along with everybody else, to be unceremoniously to be dumped from the room.

Linalee jumped as something smooth brushed against her shoulders, interrupting her thoughts. "Sorry," Kanda said coming along side her. He placed his sword along the railing, keeping it close at hand.

Linalee shook her head, tucking her hair behind her ears. It had grown some since she lost most of it to the Level Three, and it now bobbed around her chin, smooth and dark. She found the simple act of pushing her hair away somehow made her feel better, and she smiled as she pulled his coat more tightly around herself. "It's ok. Thank you."

Kanda breathed a small irritated sound, narrowing his eyes. Linalee took that to mean "You're welcome". They stood in silence, shoulder to shoulder, and Linalee began reaching for something to say.

"Nice day," she tried.

"Ah."

"This town sure is pretty. I saw a bunch of kids running by before, so I guess there's a school around here. That must be nice."

"Ah."

Linalee frowned at his responses and spoke up, determined not to let him off that easily. "You know-"

"Hey," Kanda interrupted, turning to meet her eyes. "You used to be able to sit quietly."

Linalee smiled, and shook her head. "And you used to be able to tune it all out."

"Hm," came Kanda's reply, and she could swear she saw a small twitch of his mouth. That was as close to a smile as Kanda ever came, when it wasn't pulled over his lips in a taunting and bitter fashion. Somehow, it made Linalee feel a bit lighter.

"I really hope Allen-kun's going to be alright," she said. She wasn't really expecting a reply, she just wanted to say it out loud and have somebody hear.

Her older brother had always told her that wishes made silently to one self were doomed to fade into obscurity; but those made to somebody were twice as powerful, as it's made them share your wish. As she got older, she realized this was probably Komui's way of hearing her secret childhood desires; almost as if he got Linalee to read him her diary aloud. But when she wished so strongly for something, to protect somebody, she always made sure to tell another, in hopes that they would share her wish, if even only for a moment.

"The Bean sprout won't die that easily," Kanda said, brusquely. "At least if only to spite me."

Linalee laughed outright, causing Kanda's brows to knit, his expression even more sour than usual. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she gasped out between laughs. She dropped her hand over his as her laughter faded into a small giggle. "Thank you," she breathed. She knew, despite what Kanda wanted everybody to think, that at this moment, he was sharing her wish.

* * *

As soon as Lavi woke, he knew something was wrong. His side felt wet and sticky and something was trembling along the bed. With a start, he remembered the situation and his mind only screamed one thing; Allen. 

Allen was no longer sleeping calmly. Instead, his hair was matted to his face and forehead, his breathing labored. With every intake of air, he seemed pained. All the color had drained from his face, save the fevered blush that seemed vibrant and almost red compared to the overall pallid tones that colored him, and the curse that rounded along his left cheek seemed to almost glow.

"Oh, hell," Lavi said, leaning down over Allen. He gave him a small shake calling his name. "Allen, come on, wake up, please?" Allen just made a small, pained noise, and Lavi's expression crumbled. He scooped Allen into his arms, tucking him against his chest. He wrapped his arms around him, willing the boy's trembling to stop, or even better, willing whatever was ailing him out of his body. But he knew it was nothing more than an idle wish, so he did the next best thing.

He shouted, "Gramps! Get in here, now! GRAMPS!"

He heaved an audible sigh of relief when the door opened, but instead of Bookman's small, shriveled faced, he was met with Krowly's morose, albeit concerned, one.

"Why all the screaming?"

"Kro-chan, I need you to get Gramps. And hurry."

Krowly's eyes fell on the shivering mass huddled in Lavi's lap. "Is Allen ok?"

"Just go!" Lavi half shouted, half begged, relieved as Krowly swept quickly from the room. He tried to pull Allen closer to him in an attempt to calm his trembling. From the heat radiating from his body, he knew his fever had

spiked to a dangerous level. He would be willing to place a guess somewhere around one hundred and four degrees, probably even higher.

"Come on, Allen." He soothed the flaxen hair from his face, fingers sliding over his sweat slicked flesh. He placed his forehead to Allen's and whispered to him, unsure if his voice could even reach him in this state. "You idiot, you were supposed to get better, not worse."

Allen's right fist balled into Lavi's shirt, a silent indication that he heard. Lavi placed his hand over Allen's smaller one, giving it a light squeeze. "Damn it, where is that stupid old panda?"

"You need to learn to respect your elders, brat."

Lavi's head shot up as Bookman entered the room, his head ducked into his coat as he pulled his medical case from its pocket. "Gramps!"

"How long has he been in this state?" Bookman asked, cutting to the chase and motioning for Lavi to bring Allen closer for viewing. He repeated Lavi's previous actions, though not quite as tenderly. He pushed his hair back, feeling his forehead, and took his pulse.

Lavi shook his head, looking down at the boy in his lap, guiltily. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I, um, might have fallen asleep."

"Idiot," Bookman muttered, fingers working quickly, sliding needles into delicate flesh. Lavi was sure that had Allen's condition been slightly better, Lavi would be recovering from one of Bookman's kicks, not that he didn't

deserve it this time. Lavi placed Allen carefully on the bed, before he gently slid off to stand to the side, doing the only thing he could do; watch.

"Calm yourself," Bookman said, after Lavi had taken to pacing. He pierced him with a sharp look out of the corner of his eye and Lavi could almost hear the mantra in his head.

_Bookman have no need of emotions. Even if he dies, you won't care._

Lavi turned away, embarrassed and ashamed, because at that moment, Lavi hated the Old Man, and he hated his whole clan, and most of all he hated himself. He hated them for not being able to mourn this fundamentally sweet boy should something happen. He couldn't think of one thing the world could gain from Allen not being a part of it.

Despite his newfound resolution and defiance, he honestly didn't want to rebel against it all just yet. So he dropped into a chair, closed his eyes, and for the first time in his life, he prayed.

* * *

I blame some of this on looping Five Iron Frenzy's "Spartan". Third part should be up soon. 

Questions, Comments, Crits and Love are always appreciated. Thanks for reading D


	3. Chapter 3

Mozart's Spirit

(A D.Gray Man fanfiction)

By P.A. Lovas

Pairings: Lavi/Allen, with some Kanda/Linalee.

* * *

3.

"What's going on?" asked Linalee, looking around.

The room had long since been thrown into disarray from the time she had stepped outside. Blankets were stretched across the threshold between the two adjoining rooms and the small vanity table had tipped on its side, spilling lotions and perfumes and soaps across the floor. The smell that wafted from the cracked bottles was an overpowering mixture of numerous floral and fruit smells and Linalee grimaced, placing her sleeve over her mouth. She stepped around rolling apples and pears as she made her way carefully through the dim light of the room, illuminated only by the fire crackling behind the stone hearth. She cried out, steadying herself as she nearly tripped over a heaving, black mass in the center of the floor.

"What the-" She took a step back as the mass groaned and blinked dark, myopic eyes. "Krowly? What happened here? Is everybody alright?"

Krowly shook his head, covering his ears as a loud crash resounded through the room. It seemed to be coming from behind the half closed bathroom door. "It's been like this for a while now. But at least the screaming has stopped."

Linalee's question died on her lips as the crashing and clattered became punctuated by horse screams.

"No, I don't wanna! NO!"

"Calm down! Allen, take it easy!" Another crash. "Gramps, for crying out loud, get in here and give me a hand!"

Linalee made her way toward the bathroom, pushing the door open slowly and she had to resist a small gasp. Shards of glass were sprinkled across the floor, sparkling in the murky candlelight, smeared slightly with waves of red. Lavi stood in the middle of the room, his headband having long since fallen off, and he pulled his hair over his eyes in a frustrated manner. His clothes and face held small smears of blood that he swiped at with the back of his sleeve and it took her a moment to find Allen in all this. He was huddled in the corner, face flush and eyes wide. His legs and feet were streaked with blood and his innocence was activated, held in front of him, protecting.

"Lavi?" She could only breathe out in a whisper, questioning everything through his name alone.

He turned calmly, meeting her eyes. He just heaved a suffering sigh and shook his head. "He's been like this for a while now. I can't get close."

She eyed a cut along Lavi's face, rounding over his right cheek as it wept small drops blood. She asked in disbelief, "Allen-kun did all this?"

Lavi spun her around by her shoulders and with a hand on her back, pushed her from the room. She slapped his hand away, and opened her mouth to protest. But Lavi had come with her, and was shutting the door, separating Allen. He fell into a nearby chair; his legs stretched out, head back as he rubbed at his temples.

Linalee offered him the bed sheets, which he accepted with a grateful look. "Lavi?" she tried again, trying to hide the tremor in her voice. "What happened?"

"His fever spiked through the roof. He's hallucinating, most likely. Well, either that, or he secretly hates me." He winced as he touched the sheet to his face; the blood had dried though the wound was still raw. "We need to get his body temperature down, so Gramps prepared an ice bath. As you can see, it's not all that easy getting him _in_ it."

"You need me to help?"

Lavi seemed to consider over this. "Well, not with Allen, but if you could do _me_ a couple favors, I'd be your best friend."

Linalee gave him a small, pinched smile. She was a bit resentful of his words, making her feel as if she wasn't good enough, but she wasn't about to make an ordeal out of it now, of all times. "Sure. Anything you need."

Lavi gave her his requests; could she bring Bookman and then go to the store and pick up more medicine, please. He told her all she had to do was give his name to the pharmacist, and he would give her what was needed. She raised an eyebrow, but didn't question. Instead she pursed her lips into a frown and nodded her head, ever the dutiful girl.

"Hey, Linalee," Lavi called to her as she reached the door. She turned around, catching his eye, and he gave her a big smile. But she knew him better than he thought she did, and she could see the pain behind it. "Thanks."

She shook her head, returning the smile. "Don't worry about it. Just go take care of Allen-kun. And try not to let him kill you."

Lavi laughed, running a hand through his hair. "Looks easier than it is."

"That didn't look all that easy," Krowly said. Lavi blinked, forgetting the man was even here. His knees were pulled to his chest giving him the illusion of a very large, frightened child trying to shrink into the wall.

"You're telling me, Kro-chan" Lavi stood, stretching his arms over his head. "Alright, time for round two."

"Three," Krowly said.

"Eh?"

"It's currently round three. I believe the first round would have ended when he slammed you across the room."

"I didn't really need to be reminded of that," Lavi sighed, hanging his head.

"Well, at least he's lively enough to fight back. That's good, right?"

"That's true. Although, I'm not sure on how good that is for my position," Lavi joked as he began gathering up the abandoned blankets and sheets.

He opened the bathroom door, poking his head in, cautiously. Allen hadn't appeared to move in the few minutes since he left, though he had relaxed some. His innocence arm had deactivated, and now hung at his side, black and foreboding. Lavi still moved cautiously, whispering his name as he spread the blankets over the broken glass. It wasn't the best solution, but for now, it would have to do.

"Allen," he called to him. He dropped to his knees, tucking his head down a little as he approached, as if he was stalking a small, scared animal. Allen flinched and Lavi froze and called his name again, hopefully. Allen picked up his head, tears streaming down his face. His made small hiccupping noises around chattering teeth, and Lavi's resolve broke. He rushed forward, and pulled Allen into a tight hug, relieved when he felt Allen cling to him, no longer fighting. "Allen, can you hear me?"

"Lavi, I'm s-so cold."

"I know, and we're going to fix that. I just need you to get into the bath. I promise that it'll help warm you up."

"B-but it's ice."

Lavi couldn't help himself and smiled. At least Allen was clear headed enough to understand irony. "I know it seems weird, but I need you to trust me, kay?"

Allen buried his face into Lavi's chest, seeking the warmth within. "I'm scared," he finally whispered.

Lavi wrapped an arm tightly around him, running his other hand through his hair. It was damp and warm and so soft. Lavi had originally assumed Allen's hair would be coarse, and still found himself surprised on those rare moments that he would get to pull his fingers through it. But the act seemed to sooth Allen, so he continued, whispering small, gentle words. "It's gunna be ok."

Lavi rose slowly to his feet, bringing Allen to stand clumsily with him. He kept his hands on his waist, steadying, as he led Allen over to the bathtub. It stood on four, chubby legs, a dull, cloudy silver color. The ice rolled around the water in shining clumps, and Lavi had to agree, it didn't look very inviting. He could see Allen's resolve was weakening, panic starting to creep over his features, his breath quickening.

Moving swiftly, Lavi scooped Allen into his arms and stepped into the tub. He sucked in a breath as the icy waters assaulted his legs with a burning, numbing sensation. He silently begged Allen for forgiveness as he lowered him into the water, clothes and all.

Allen cried out as the water seemed to lash at him, biting and angry. He clung to Lavi, pulling at him in an attempt to break free. But Lavi was prying his fingers loose, pushing him deeper into this agony. He might have felt betrayed, if he could have felt anything but freezing. Even Lavi's soothing whispers and warm hands could only offer so much comfort. He felt trapped, afraid and so very cold. He tried to call for his innocence, begging for protection. Yet, his arm wasn't listening and he couldn't find that connection within himself, so he relented to being pushed into the water and shivered to his very core.

* * *

"Ah, I'm so tired," Lavi cried, throwing his body across the table. He was soaked and cold, but more than anything he felt relief; simple and lucid. He had doubted how he was going to get Allen into the bath, even more so after the boy activated his innocence in retaliation. He found himself immensely grateful that this new form didn't have a gun-mode. The very thought made him cringe. 

He noticed that Krowly had straightened the room up, hastily and casually, but it was significantly better than it had been. The vanity was turned right, the bottles haphazardly piled along the surface. The floor had been wiped and the window opened, though you could still detect small traces of perfume in the air. The only thing that Lavi saw being a problem was the bed. It had been stripped earlier and now the covers were in the bathroom, seeped in ice water and wedged with glass and completely unsalvageable.

He groaned as he thought about having to walk all the way to the front desk and explain why he needed a new change of sheets after one night. He could imagine the look he was going to get and hoped, at least, the maid was a pretty girl, perhaps with large breasts. His mind started to wander, taking his fantasy further; after all, he was a healthy nineteen year old boy, Bookman or not.

"You're drooling all over the table," Linalee said impassively as she entered with fresh sheets folded in her arms.

"Linalee-chan! You're my hero!" Lavi cried out as he discerned what was bundled against her.

"Um, ok." She sighed to herself as she took the blankets over to the bed and began smoothing them over the mattress. She stopped as she noticed a large, unfriendly red blotch at the edge of the bed.

"Lavi, you shouldn't sit on the bed until you've cleaned up," she scolded.

"Huh?" Lavi's voice dragged out in question, exhaustion tingeing the edges. The upper half of his body was still draped idly over the table. "I'm not on the bed."

"I know that," she said, rolling her eyes. "I meant before."

Lavi picked his head up, turning to Linalee. "I wasn't over there before."

Linalee took a step back and simply pointed at the bed. Lavi groaned as he stood up before moving to peer at what seemed to have spooked Linalee. His eye narrowed as he ran a finger over the stain. "Blood," he said.

"It's not yours?" Linalee asked, and Lavi shook his head. Linalee's eyebrows knitted together and her lower lip quivered slightly. "Allen-kun," she said to herself, darting toward the bathroom.

"Hey, wait!" Lavi reached out to try and stop her, his hand only catching air where she had been standing. That girl was fast. He reached for his hammer, stretching it out until it rested against the bathroom door, holding it closed. "Linalee, you can't go in there now."

"Shut up! You're always keeping everything to yourself! You're not the only one who cares about him, you know. You're so selfish, Lavi," Linalee cried out, pulling at his hammer, and Lavi knew that to her it must have felt as if it weighed hundreds of pounds.

Linalee paused as there came a knock from behind the door, and a gruff voice said, "Move this confounded thing."

"Yes, yes," Lavi said, retracting the hammer. "Gramps, we found blood where Allen had been sleeping earlier. We should-" Bookman cut him off by turning away and walking into the bathroom, motioning for Lavi to follow.

Allen was still in the tub, shivering, his head cradled against his left arm and he appeared to be asleep. Bookman reached into the water, and pulled Allen's right arm toward him, causing a small murmur from the sleeping boy.

There was a rash running from wrist to elbow, red and uneven and Lavi knew that the blood spot had come from where Allen had been scratching it, probably while Lavi slept. The flesh that was unscathed resembled that of red and white millet seeds, causing Lavi to raise an eyebrow. "Miliary fever?"

Linalee leaned in. "What's that?"

Lavi explained, holding his chin. "It was an epidemic that started back in England about 200 years ago, but it's pretty uncommon now."

"Allen-kun is from England, right? So that would make sense." Linalee was fairly shaking with anxiety. "Is it fatal?"

"Well, no. It actually usually passes over, on average, four days. Though, it's an ugly four days; fever, sweating, not to mention one seriously gross rash." Lavi was squatting next to the bath, holding Allan's forearm as he ran a finger over the uneven flesh.

Linalee smiled at Lavi's words. "That's good right? Then he'll be ok?"

Bookman shook his head. "The symptoms don't fit."

"Yeah, I know."

Looking from Bookman to Lavi, Linalee frowned. She didn't like when spoke in this fashion. Even when they were addressing somebody else, it seemed as if they only spoke to each other or simply aloud to themselves. They never bothered to explain things without being prompted. So that's what she requested. "I don't understand. What do you mean the symptoms don't fit? That's everything that's wrong with him."

"The rash's appearance and the sweating are correct," Lavi explained to her, wiping his hands off on the blankets he had spread over the floor earlier. He frowned and pulled a piece of glass from his palm. "Ow. But the fever isn't right. It's way too high for this and the placement of the rash is all wrong."

"Lavi, take off your shirt."

"What?!" Lavi jumped to his feet at Bookman's request. "What the hell, Old Man?!"

"Idiot," Bookman muttered. "You've spent the most time with the kid, right?" Lavi nodded. "Well, if it is in fact miliary fever-"

"Oh, that's right," Lavi cried out, slapping a hand to his forehead. "It's super contagious, isn't it? Man, I'm dumb." He rose to his feet, pulling his shirt over his head. He turned around, revealing the smooth flesh of his back. He ran a hand over his neck. "I don't feel anything, and I'm not sweating. Well, at least not more than usual."

Linalee crinkled her nose at the comment, but let it slide. "Then what's wrong with Allen-kun?"

Lavi and Bookman turned to each other, searching for something or perhaps silently communicating. Linalee wanted to scream. She figured that whatever was wrong, they simply didn't want let her know; wanted to keep this information to themselves and their tomes. But she knew her thoughts were incorrect when she saw Bookman hang his head and Lavi's expression fall. He pulled Allen's hand between both of his and pressed the long, slim fingers to his brow.

"We have no idea."

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Look for the fourth part real soon. Thank you for all the lovely comments! You guys are great 3 

Questions, Comments, Crits and Love are always appreciated. Thanks for reading :D


	4. Chapter 4

Mozart's Spirit

(A D.Gray Man fanfiction)

By P.A. Lovas

Pairings: Lavi/Allen, with some Kanda/Linalee.

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4.

Death was everywhere; Kanda felt that as soon as he stepped foot into the quaint town. It was just like the one they were stationed in (_them_, not _him_. He would certainly never dare to lump himself in with that incorrigible troupe). The houses lined the streets, evenly spaced, and Kanda was sure they had all once contained a husband, a wife, and at least one or two children. Perhaps even some sort of annoying, bouncing, drooling dog, but that could vary from family to family.

Not that any of that mattered any longer, he thought as he walked through the streets. Nobody lived here anymore. Had he not stumbled into this scene so many times, it would have seemed that everybody had simply abandoned their homes. The truth was reveled in scraps of clothing and forsaken now-horseless buggies that had fallen over, wheels appearing to struggle as they spun idly in the breeze.

"We were too late," Krowly said, slowing his stride as to stay a few paces behind his companion.

"Ah." He stopped, his gaze falling to a piece of cloth laying along the walkway, obscured in the shade. He bent over, feeling it lightly. It felt slightly damp to the touch. He placed his palm to the ground, noticing it was slightly chilled, but very dry. "Damn it," he muttered.

"What is it?" Krowly was watching Kanda's motions, obviously interested. His size allowed him to stay far enough away from Kanda, but with only a small stretch of his neck, he could see everything. Though with Krowly, seeing didn't necessarily amount to understanding.

"The shirt's wet and the ground's dry," Kanda said, his eyes narrowing.

Krowly furrowed his brow. "So the Akuma attacked while it was raining?"

"Or they came and then it rained."

"But nothing is wet right now. Which would mean…"

"It means that the ground had time to dry." Kanda stood, and adjusted his sword. 

"But it hadn't been raining in the other towns."

Kanda sighed. Krowly was at least clever enough to pick up on the inconsistencies; though having to explain the reasons was irritating. That was the one good thing (and in Kanda's mind the only good thing) about having Lavi around. The apprentice Bookman seemed to enjoy being an insufferable know-it-all and would gladly handle the entire group's enlightening.

Kanda resigned himself to the explanation. "Up until now, the path of the destruction has been a straight shot. However, this town seems to have been attacked out of order."

"Then the town where the others are staying will be targeted next?" Krowly asked.

Grey eyes narrowed, and Kanda frowned. "Or maybe not."

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Lavi removed the compress from Allen's forehead, replacing it with the fresh one Linalee offered, giving her a smile in thanks. Allen seemed to be faring better. The ice bath had succeeded in lowering his fever long enough to allow the medicine to take effect and the shivering had subsided significantly. He was switched into clean, dry clothes and now slept almost peacefully between the cool bed sheets, only an occasional whimper falling past his lips.

Lavi tucked the sheets more tightly around Allen, only allowing himself to leave the room after he was satisfied everything was in order. He motioned for Linalee to follow and she shut the door behind them. They both sighed and slid down to the floor, huddling on the rug in front of the fire. They sat in silence for a while, reflecting.

"Why did this happen?" Linalee eventually asked. Lavi didn't respond, but she hadn't meant for him to. The question was supposed to be asked, and she knew there wasn't going to be an appropriate answer.

"You hungry?" Lavi asked, turning to her. She shook her head "no" and he smiled a little. "Yeah, me neither." 

Then there was silence. They fidgeted; Linalee played with her hair and Lavi pulled at the rug's fringe. "You know," he finally said, unable to handle the silence any longer. "For a parasitic user, you don't eat nearly as much as the others."

Linalee smiled. "Well, that's a difficult feat. Besides, it's probably a good thing. I don't think we'd all be able to survive if I did."

Lavi barked out a laugh, and after a moment Linalee joined in. "That's very true. So I guess I should thank you for not being forced to starve."

"You're welcome," said Linalee. She was grateful that the silence that followed was no longer heavy, just easy and comfortable. She watched as Lavi rose to his feet minutes later before returning with three apples and a paring knife. He settled back down and began peeling them, one at a time.

"You're very good at taking care of him," she said.

Lavi smiled. "You say that like I wasn't any good at taking care of you."

Linalee shook her head. "That's not what I mean." She pulled her knees to her chest. "You're always looking out for him, not only now that he's sick."

"Of course," said Lavi. "He's had a lot to deal with in his life. All of you have. If I can make it even a little easier, well then, I'm damn well gunna."

"Lavi." He kept peeling the fruit, not meeting her eyes. She only had a view of his left profile, his eye covered by his habitual eye patch. Linalee wondered if he was showing her that side for a reason.

"Pretty cliché, right?"

Linalee smiled, making a disagreeing noise. "I don't think so. I think it's sweet that you care about us so much." She paused for a moment, deciding her next words carefully. "It's different from how you used to be."

Lavi chuckled. "Yeah, I was a bit of a bastard, hn?"

"If something…" Linalee started, and then stopped. She had to will herself to finish the sentence. "If something happens to Allen-kun, are you going to leave?"

"What do you mean?" His voice held no emotion or offered any hints, but Linalee was almost sure that the eye beneath the patch was watching her through its darkness. It was an odd feeling that made her shudder.

"Well, you two are with us now because of the prophecy, right? Because Allen-kun was labeled the Destroyer of Time."

Lavi smiled. "Smart girl."

"So, if he-"

"Linalee," Lavi interrupted. His hands stopped moving, and he frowned. "I'm gunna believe in him this time, but I'll need your help. It's not in my nature to hope." Linalee felt tears well behind her eyes and she nodded, dropping her head to his shoulder.

Back when they had lost Allen that first time, when they had stumbled into that blood soaked glade and been forced to watch him die, Linalee had been overcome with grief. The events following were hazy until the moment she decided to believe that Allen would return to them. But she could remember Lavi's heartache, and perhaps his first realization that he cared. She had never seen him so angry in all the time she had known him, never once witnessed him lose that aura of apathy that encompassed him.

And then he had cried for Linalee. When she woke, she was sure she would have been greeted by golden gates or even fire and brimstone. Instead, she was met by Lavi's face, worried and relieved, and he had cried for her, openly. She realized now that she had never seen him cry for Allen's death. Instead, he chose to simply rage inside, his emotions boiling beneath the surface. It was a Lavi she had never seen before, and had yet to see again. If Allen died again, Linalee was sure that a crucial piece of Lavi's sanity would go with it.

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When Allen awoke, the first thing he noticed was that it had gotten dark. The second thing he realized was that he was absurdly thirsty, and more than a little nauseous. He sat up quickly as brief flashes of the last two days ran through his mind. He instantly regretted the act as the room lurched. He put a hand to his head and closed his eyes, waiting for the vertigo to pass.

Once his head cleared, he slipped his feet to the floor and tugged at the sleeve over his left arm. It was a self-conscious and routine habit that he had never been able to kick. He blushed as he realized he wasn't in the same clothes that he had fallen asleep in that afternoon, wondering how, or more importantly _who,_ had changed him and none of the potential prospects made him feel any better. In fact, by the time Kanda crossed his mind, he felt worse.

"Morning," Allen murmured as he exited his room, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Lavi and Linalee both scrambled to their feet, eyes wide with shock, and Allen frowned. What were they doing?

"Allen-kun!" Linalee ran across the room, throwing herself into his arms. Allen had hit a bit of a growth spurt over the past year and was now a good couple inches taller than Linalee. This allowed him to rest his chin on the top of her head as she buried her face into his shoulder.

"Linalee?" he asked, patting her back in a comforting manner. "Are you alright?"

"Idiot," she scolded. "Only you would ask if _I'm_ ok."

Allen smiled. "I'm sorry to have worried you, Linalee."

"You're damn right you worried us."

_Us?_ He met Lavi's gaze over her dark head. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," said Linalee. Lavi just smiled and shook his head.

Allen allowed himself to be shoved in front of the fire, and resigned himself to Linalee's doting. She wrapped him in blankets and felt his forehead and, gratefully, brought him cool glasses of water. She chattered happily and he smiled, simply listening dutifully or answering her when it was required. Things went on in this fashion until Linalee wore herself out and fell asleep with her head in his lap.

"She was really worried about you," Lavi said as he dropped to sit beside him.

Allen nodded, brushing the hair away from her face with his right hand. "I know. I'm sorry."

"Allen," Lavi called sweetly. "Gimme." He smiled and held out his hand, palm up.

Allen raised an eyebrow, unsure of the tone in Lavi's voice. "What?" Lavi responded by reached his hand out again and Allen blushed before placing his own hand into the offered one.

The look in Lavi's visible eye lost all its teasing as he pushed Allen's sleeve up gently. Allen was shocked and embarrassed to see an ugly, uneven rash stretch across his skin. He tried to yank his hand away, but Lavi's grip on his wrist was tight.

"So you don't remember anything from before, hm?" Lavi asked running his fingers along his arm. He pushed the sleeve further up, searching with hands and eyes.

Allen shook his head, trying not to watch Lavi's actions. He tried to focus on something else; Linalee's smooth, black hair spreading over his lap or the patterns of the flames as they danced, warm and exotic or the bandage that was affixed to Lavi's face.

"Lavi, what happened?"

Lavi smiled. "Well that certainly answers that question." He released his wrist as Allen frowned, deciding instead to ruffle his hair. "Don't worry about it, Bean sprout." 

"It's Allen," he muttered halfheartedly, and Lavi laughed.

They settled into a comfortable quiet, Linalee's calm breathing seeming to lull them into complacency. Allen dozed and Lavi left momentarily, returning with a book and a glass of some sort of broth. Allen wondered sleepily if it was the same book he had been reading before as he received the warm mug between his hands.

Spreading the hardcover against the floor between his legs, Lavi picked up an apple and the knife, slicing off a portion. He chewed thoughtfully at it while he read, and he slowly started feeding Allen smaller, bite sized pieces. By the time Lavi was cutting into the third apple, he was no longer eating with him, simply handing Allen small chunks.

Allen ate quietly, watching Lavi's profile, his blind eye and bandaged cheek to him. As Allen swallowed his current mouthful Lavi was already reaching over to hand him another slice off the tip of the blade. He accepted it, puzzling over whether Lavi was this in tune with the rest of the world, or if it was just Allen. The thought made him a little happy and he bit into the apple, smiling.

"Good?" Lavi asked, a grin pulling at his lips. 

Allen flushed slightly, nodding. He finished chewing before asking, "Lavi, what was wrong with me?"

Lavi looked up from his book. "Was?"He brushed Allen's hair away, and took his temperature by touch, though Allen wasn't sure what running his fingertips along his cheek had to do with anything. But he figured Lavi knew better than he did, at least when it came to these sort of things. "We don't know," Lavi finally said.

"Really?" Allen was genuinely surprised. "I thought you and Bookman knew everything."

Lavi laughed outright at the comment. "I appreciate the sentiment, Allen, I really do. But no, we don't know everything. In fact, the more we learn, the more we realize we don't know."

"Well, I think you guys are pretty smart," Allen said, finishing it with a small, mumble. "So, there was no need to laugh like that."

Lavi apologized before saying, "Allen, I know you feel better, and I'm relieved. But I don't think we should get ahead of ourselves just yet."

"What do you mean?"

He sighed. "I mean, if you start to feel bad at all, even just a little bit, I want you to let me know, 'kay?" Allen nodded, though Lavi wasn't sure if he would comply. After all, this was Allen Walker, boy wonder. He would as soon as die then to cause any hardship to his friends. Ironically, and obviously, not realizing what that would do to said friends. So he was surprised when Allen piped up a few minutes later.

"Lavi?"

"Yes?"

Allen tucked his head down, hair falling in front of his eyes. He was trying to hide. "I'm feeling a little sick."

Lavi closed the book, and turned, giving Allen his full attention. "How sick?"

"I'm a little nauseous."

"How nauseous?"

"Very," Allen finally admitted.

Lavi observed as Allen began picking at the sleeve covering his right arm. "And?"

"My arm hurts."

Lavi watched the other boy closely for a moment. "Anything else? You still cold?" Allen nodded. "Alright," Lavi said,gathering his book. "Back to bed, then."

"No!" Allen shook his head. "I want to stay here for a little longer. I'm so sick of that room already, and besides, you'll wake Linalee."

He was about to point out that Allen spent most of his time asleep in the room and that Linalee would be fine. But the set of his jaw and the look in those silver eyes meant Lavi wasn't going to win this one. Allen was being stubborn. So he sighed, and opened his book. He noticed Allen rubbing at his sleeve, trying to secretly scratch at his arm. He reached over and entwined his fingers through Allen's.

"Stop that," he scolded. He didn't need to look up to know that Allen was gaping at him, wide eyed and blushing. But he didn't pull away, instead dropped his head onto Lavi's shoulder. Soon, he could feel Allen's breath deepen, indicating he was asleep. Lavi yawned.

Just for a minute, Lavi told himself silently, resting his head atop Allen's. Allen made a small noise but remained fast asleep and within moments, Lavi drifted off as well

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I thought for once I'd leave off on a sweet moment, instead of some sort of crushing angst. My gift to you. And as always, thank you so much for the comments. You guys rock :3

Questions, Comments, Crits and Love are always appreciated. Thanks for reading :D


	5. Chapter 5

Mozart's Spirit

(A D.Gray Man fanfiction)

By P.A. Lovas

Pairings: Lavi/Allen, with some Kanda/Linalee.

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5.

"Here you go, Gramps," Lavi said, tossing a book onto the table in Bookman's room. Well, it was his room too, sort of. He was supposed to be sharing it with the old man, but with the situation being what it was, Lavi barely stepped foot in the room. Unless, like now, when he needed something. "I couldn't find anything useful in it. Hey, did you bring that one on perennial illnesses?" Lavi asked. He began shuffling through the growing pile that Bookman was concealed behind. Lavi frowned and rubbed at his chin. "Gramps? Hey, Old Man, I'm talking to you."

A gruff reply. "Idiot, I can hear you."

"Well, then you should answer," Lavi grumbled in a low voice. "So," he tried again. "Do we have the book?"

Bookman responded in a quick, irritated fashion. This meant he was busy and Lavi was interrupting. "I'm using it."

Lavi frowned, putting a hand on his hip, and blew the hair from his brow in an exasperated breath. This was usually the case lately; the two of them reaching for the same books. But that meant the Old Man was thinking along the same lines, and it was probably better that Bookman got to the information first. Lavi didn't always know what to do with it all just yet. "Alright," came Lavi's usual flippant retort. "Age before beauty, after all."

"Brat," Bookman said. He reached out, a book in hand, and offered it to Lavi. "Here."

"Eighteenth Century Infections and Diseases," Lavi read the cover. "Have you gone through this one yet?"

"No," Bookman told him. "So don't take forever with it."

"Yes, sir." Lavi gave him an embellished salute. "Allen's awake," he said as flipped idly through the pages, grimacing at a particularly gory description of French Pox. He quickly moved on, offering a silent thanks that Allen obviously didn't have that particular ailment. "He's actually moving around, pretty good. You know, all things considering." Bookman just made a small noise of understanding, so Lavi continued. "I don't like this though. The whole thing isn't sitting right with me. I mean, just a few hours ago he was practically dead, so, why is he better now? What did we do?"

"Idiot," Bookman grumbled. "That's what I'm trying to figure out. But it's hard to do with you yammering."

"Yes, yes," Lavi said. "I understand. Good luck, Gramps."

Bookman watched as Lavi left the room, and allowed himself a sigh. He was worried for Lavi, concerned for his future. The bookman clan's code was strict where emotions are concerned; the heart should not exist. Emotions got in the way. They clouded the mind, the judgment and inevitably, the work that needed to be accomplished.

Bookman began to wonder, as he had for a while, if he was the best person to be teaching him. Lavi was simply escalating on the sin Bookman had committed. Somewhere along the line, he had grown to care for this red-haired, loud mouthed child. And somewhere deep in the hole where Bookman's heart should be, a tiny worry began to gnaw for this boy he had raised.

For Lavi's sake, Bookman knew it would be best for Allen Walker to die. If the kid died, Lavi would mourn. The heart he shouldn't possess would break but, eventually, he would heal. And in the end, he would harden and be better for it. This was a test that Lavi could not afford to fall short on, and Bookman saw Lavi's impending failure speeding down on him and he felt him slipping away.

But Bookman couldn't achieve this victory for him. This was something Lavi had to accomplish on his own. Besides, had his own test before him now. No matter what effect Allen had on his apprentice, he was still the prophesied "Destroyer of Time". This was something Bookman had sworn to see through to the end. So he schooled his emotions easily, as he was well practiced in not giving a damn.

He flipped through the gathering of tomes that were spread out before him, trying to pursue the path of the illness. He cursed silently at the absence of Timcampy. He had always found the golden golem to be immensely helpful in retracing steps. It was unfortunate that General Cross had needed to reclaim it.

Two days ago, Allen Walker had been a relatively normal, healthy, and strong willed sixteen year-old boy. Allen said he didn't recall, nor did anybody notice, any symptoms prior to the shivering. And that was peculiar as well. The shivering came before the fever. 

Bookman read, for at least the hundredth time, the course of the disease, though he still used the term loosely. Shakes…sweating…nausea…elevated fever…rash…hallucinations… intermittent loss of consciousness. Bookman raised his pen and added to it. Abrupt disappearance and recurrence of symptoms, he wrote.

Bookman leaned back in his chair, eyes wandering over his words. He had to agree with his idiotic apprentice. Something here wasn't adding up.

* * *

"Yuu!" Lavi squealed over the top of his book as Kanda entered the room. His response was the usual glare and "Tch" that followed each time Lavi used the despised nickname. Kanda rarely threatened him anymore, knowing that it only fueled Lavi's fire and succeed in amusing him further. But although not as interesting, this reaction was still good, so Lavi continued to call Kanda by his first name. "Yuu, you're back!"

"Not by choice," replied Kanda.

"He wasn't too mean to you, was he?" This was directed at Krowly who had just swept into the room. Krowly eyed Kanda warily and shook his head vigorously as Kanda glared at him.

"N-no. Not at all." No matter how many times he was forced to mission with him, "Soba-man" still put Krowly's teeth on edge. And that was a hard thing to do. "How's Allen?"

"He's much better. He's in the other room playing with Linalee." Seeing a twitch in corner of Kanda's eye Lavi added, "Don't worry, I shut the door so they won't disturb us."

"Get them out here," demanded Kanda.

"Don't be jealous, Yuu. I'll always love you."

"Idiotic rabbit," Kanda hissed. "We found traces of rain."

Lavi's smile faded. "Rain? In all of them?" Kanda nodded. "Anything left?" Kanda shook his head. Lavi templed his fingers around his mouth thoughtfully. After a moment, he stood, nodding at Kanda. "Alright. Let me go inform Gramps."

Kanda waited for Lavi to leave before he allowed himself to start eyeing the bedroom. Krowly had become preoccupied with stalking out the remainders of their food supply, so Kanda allowed himself to get closer to the door. There was silence inside and only darkness seeped out from the cracks, offering no clues and little consolation.

"To hell with it," Kanda finally decided. Staring at a hunk of lumber wasn't going to do him any good. He opened the door in a fluid motion, not too gently, nor was it a slam. Just self assured. He frowned when he noticed two figures curled together on the bed, dimly lit by candle light. Pale white fell over silken black in a perfect contrast when the two heads had tucked together in sleep.

Kanda was pissed. His scowl deepened and his eyes narrowed. Had he been baring any teeth, he would have resembled a snarling canine; a rabid beast protecting what was _his_. The back of his mind screamed for him to remain calm, always calm. But something inside him snapped. He reached out and yanked Allen out of the bed roughly by his arm. Away from Linalee.

Linalee jolted awake as the mattress jumped and Allen cried out. She could feel the familiar warmth of innocence that was followed by the abrasive sound of steel. It took her a moment to register the scene; Allen and Kanda facing off, weapons exposed.

"Stop it, both of you!" She yelled, jumping to her feet. Kanda still had his hold on Allen's human arm and she moved forward, wanting, no needing, to stop this. But long, calloused fingers beat her to it, wrapping around Kanda's wrist and ever so slightly, Lavi twisted.

Kanda released Allen with a small grunt, turning blazing eyes to Lavi. Lavi's eye just flared back, and they stared each other down. The seconds stretched like hours before Kanda stormed from the room, re-sheathing Mugen.

Linalee watched as Lavi's gazed followed him, and after a moment, he turned to her. Grimacing, Lavi spread out his hands in front of him and he shuddered. "That was sca-ary," he cried, and Linalee let out the breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Allen-kun, are you ok?" she turned to the blinking, dreadfully confused boy.

"I think so," he said, wobbling slightly. Two pairs of hands rushed out to steady him, and though he was grateful, Allen brushed them off. "I'm fine now, thank you. Seriously, what the hell is his problem?"

"Did something happen on his mission?" Linalee asked, causing Allen to turn to her abruptly.

"What mission?"

Lavi sighed and tucked his hands behind his head. "Yuu and Kro-chan decided to check out the neighboring towns. They were in pretty much the same as all the others, except…"

"Except?" Allen prodded, when it was obvious that Lavi wasn't sure if he should continue. "Except what?"

"What do you mean?" Linalee urged as well and Lavi sighed dejectedly.

"They were attacked days before the others. Everything South and East of this town got attacked right about when we got here, right? Everything north and west was attacked at least 3 days before we arrived."

"Everything for how far?" asked Linalee and Lavi shrugged. "This sounds bad, but shouldn't we keep going, anyway? We can't afford to lose the innocence."

Lavi shook his head. "Everything's been wiped out except this town. And there hasn't been a single move on the Earl's part in the last two days."

Linalee wrung her hands together. "So, what's our next move?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out. Allen's sickness is severe enough, that the first thought should be to turn around and head back to the Order." Lavi held up a hand as Allen opened his mouth to protest, silencing him. "We need to think everything through carefully, because what if everything that's happened up until now_hasn't_been one great big coincidence?"

Allen and Linalee grew silent as the gravity of the situation began to sink in. And somewhere, beneath the ivory skull that encompassed Allen's brain, he knew it was his fault that his friends were in danger. And suddenly, he couldn't blame Kanda in the least.

* * *

Allen stood at the window, for once grateful to be shut in that tiny room. He just wanted to be alone. Allen breathed deeply and curled his fingers against the glass. The blackened nails of his left hand scraped noisily and Allen wondered if he could pressed hard enough, would he be able to cut through the glass? Maybe his hand wasn't ugly. Maybe it was bejeweled with shining, black diamonds. Maybe it was exotic. The black skin surrounding it was rough and hard, and gave the impression of flesh being thrust into a hellfire, pulling away from cartilage and bone. Allen decided he was right the first time. It was ugly.

He pushed his forehead to the surface of the window and sighed. The air behind the glass was cool and felt wonderful against his fevered skin. He almost didn't want to pull away when he heard somebody knock at the door. "It's open, Lavi," Allen said.

The door swung open reveling a smiling Lavi holding a plates and bowls piled high with food. It was almost comical the way he bobbed and teetered to keep the mound from spilling over. He settled the plates safely onto vanity table, mouth tapering into a pout as a hunk of bread rolled onto the floor. "That's your piece," he said.

Allen leaned over and picked the bread off the floor, dusting it off. He looked over his shoulder, about to offer it to Tim, having forgotten for a moment that the golem wasn't nearby. The thought saddened him a little and he pushed the bread back onto the table.

"So," Lavi said, throwing himself onto the bed. "How'd you know it was me?"

"It's always you, Lavi." Exasperation had crept into Allen's voice.

"Sorry?" Lavi was leaning on his elbows now, staring at him. Allen had never seen Lavi watch him so openly, so obviously searching, and Allen instantly felt bad.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that," he tried. He sat on the edge of the bed and began picking at the sheets. "It's just, I'm a little upset." Lavi's hand found its way over Allen's, trying to stop what had escalated to aggressive pulling at the blankets. His left hand. Allen yanked away, pulling it to his chest. His ugly, disfigured hand.

"Allen."

He didn't want to look up and see the hurt he knew would be in Lavi's face or see Lavi watching him with that all-knowing eye. He didn't want to be judged or analyzed. He didn't want his soul lay bare. He panicked, tugging his hair in front of his face. He didn't want to been seen, and yet, at the same time, he didn't want to be alone.

"Allen," Lavi called again in a tone that made him peek through the white curtain of his hair. There was no judgment in Lavi's voice or probing in his eye. There was just a smile on his face, a look that was just so _Lavi_ that it made Allen smile along with him. A small, hesitant smile, but it was a start.

They sat, side by side, simply leaning into each other's warmth. Lavi's hand came up, brushing aside flaxen strands of hair and began tracing the curse that rounded over Allen's cheek slowly with this thumb. Allen sighed into the touch, but his body stiffened, frightened. It's too soon…too fast.

"You feeling any better?" Lavi asked, moving off the bed and pulling his arms in a languid stretch.

"Much," Allen said, pushing his sleeve back. "The rash faded a little, and I'm pretty sure my fever's all gone."

"Really?" Lavi stepped forward, reaching a hand out toward Allen's forehead.

Allen laughed, and ducked away. "Of course. Seriously, I'm fine. All better. So, please please _please_ don't make a big deal out of this anymore, okay? The past couple days have been bad enough."

"As you wish."

Allen watched as Lavi made his way over the vanity and started moving the food over onto the floor by the bed. "What are you doing," Allen asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Floor picnic," Lavi said, dropping down to sit beside the spread. He motioned for Allen to do the same, and Allen obliged, though slowly and a bit cautious.

"Now what?"

"We eat. You've got to be starved by now."

"Oh yeah," Allen said, giving a small, nervous laugh. He reached out grabbing at food with both hands and began putting on a show of shoving pieces of bread and meat and cheese into his mouth at an alarming speed. But he slowed his pace, eventually frowning and picking at what was left as the food in his stomach seemed to roll and churn in some sick, sadistic dance. "I can't," Allen said at last, pushing the food away.

"I know."

Allen hung his head shamefully. "You were testing me, weren't you?"

"Yeah."

"I failed, didn't I?"

"Uh huh." Lavi reached over, placing a hand on Allen's shoulder. It was friendly and comforting, meaning Lavi wasn't mad. "Sorry, but I knew you weren't going to tell me honestly."

"I'm sorry," Allen told him. "But why didn't you just tell me you knew?"

Lavi smiled. "Because you ate more in a mouthful now than you'd eaten in the last two days."

"Oh."

"Come on," Lavi said, pulling a bowl toward himself. "Let's see if the two of us can polish this stuff off. Besides, Linalee would be mad if we let her cooking go to waste."

"Linalee cooked?" Allen asked, wide eyed with surprise.

"Yep." Lavi frowned a little as he poked at a grayish-brown chunk in an even grayer sauce. He visibly braced himself and scooped some of the food into his mouth. He blanched. "You're lucky you're already nauseous. Ugh, this is foul."

"What was that!"

Lavi sat up, his body rigid at Linalee's voice. She stood in the doorway, the apron she was wearing splashed grey with her mystery gravy. Her hands shook, causing the pot she was holding to slosh dangerously before she slammed it into the floor, a treacherous tick in her eye.

"Wait, Linalee, I was kidding. It's delicious, see? Ugh," Lavi gagged as he tried to swallow another mouthful.

Allen laughed as Linalee chased Lavi into a corner, and proceeded to hit him with a ladle. Lavi tried to hold up his hands to defend himself against her blows, but only succeeded in offering her a new opening to attack. So he dropped to the floor in a crouch, hands covering his head.

"Ow, Linalee, I'm sorry. Ow, stop. I promise it was delicious and you're the best cook ever. Ow! Allen, don't just sit there laughing and come save me! Yuu, Kro-chan, anybody, help!"

Allen decided he would ask for Lavi's forgiveness later.

* * *

I've got nothing clever to say here. So make something cool up and pretend I said it. And as always, thanks for the kind words.

Questions, Comments, Crits and Love are always appreciated. Thanks for reading :D


	6. Chapter 6

Mozart's Spirit

(A D.Gray Man fanfiction)

By P.A. Lovas

Pairings: Lavi/Allen, with some Kanda/Linalee.

* * *

6.

Lavi felt bad. He knew he had done what he had to, but that knowledge didn't make him feel any better about the whole thing. So he closed his eyes, and envisioned that emotion, making it tangible in the dark recesses of his mind. He stepped on the feeling, shoved it deep down, and folded it once…twice. It was a mental exercise he taught himself a long time ago, and it always helped him see more clearly.

"Is it done?" asked Kanda as Lavi entered the room and closed the door behind him and Linalee.

Lavi nodded and folded his body in a chair. "Yeah, the sedative's strong, so he'll be out for the rest of the night."

"Was it really necessary to knock him out?" Linalee asked, a frown touching her lips.

"It would be rather difficult to discuss things with Allen here," Krowly said. "It's easy to guess what he would say."

Silence grew as Krowly's words faded. It was the truth, they all knew that. There was no way Allen would allow them to proceed in the direction they needed to. Never allow a plan that put his friends in danger or one that involved protecting Allen. He would narrow those silver eyes, clench his jaw, furrow his brows. And then he'd say "No" over and over again until he got his way. Because one way or the other, Allen would fight, even if he had to do it alone.

But they couldn't afford to battle Allen's pride. Not this time. So Lavi had slipped a sedative into the dinner he tricked Allen into eating. And Lavi felt bad. The heart Lavi wasn't supposed to have ached as Allen's eye lids drooped while he fought against the spreading warmth of the drug. Lavi whispered apologies as he slipped back the sheets and tucked Allen in, that full, pink mouth forming Lavi's name is sleepy confusion. Lavi was sure Allen was going to be mad at him in the morning, but for now, he was safe and that was all that mattered. Lavi would deal with the consequences later.

"What's our next move?" asked Lavi, his gaze flitting around the room.

"If we stay here, we're sitting ducks." Krowly was the first to speak up. "The first thing we should do is leave this place, the sooner the better."

Linalee took a step forward. "But what about Allen-kun? Will he really be alright?"

"That has no bearing," Bookman answered. "His condition can just as easily deteriorate in that room as it can in the next town."

"But-"

"Gramps and Kro-chan are right," said Lavi, templing his fingers in thought. "Although, it's probably safe to wait until morning."

An irritated noise came from the corner where Kanda stood, arms crossed over his chest. "Just wake the bean sprout up."

Lavi laughed nervously. "That's not really possible."

"Then put a leash on him and drag him."

"Yuu…"

"Allen Walker will not wake until morning. Is it possible that, before that time comes, we might try and figure out a plan?" Bookman let out a suffering breath. Brats, all of them. "It's safe to assume this the events taking place aren't mere coincidence. With that in mind, we need to move carefully." Kohl rimmed eyes watched as everyone in the room gave a nod.

"We'll need to evacuate the town before we leave," Krowly added.

Linalee stepped forward, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Alright, leave that to me. I can get started on that now."

"Hold on, Linalee. We'll get to that later." Lavi turned to Bookman, who gave a small, approving nod. "Right now, we need you to do something else."

"What's that," asked Linalee.

"We need you to steal some of Allen's clothes."

* * *

The plan had been hashed out, directions given, and were ready to be set into motion. Lavi wasn't completely sure of it all, but it was the best bet they had. All he could do now was believe in it. But he knew Kanda shared his reluctance, which is what led him to follow Kanda out to the balcony. If anybody could find fault or flaw in something, it was Kanda.

"Yuu, you better not leave without saying goodbye," Lavi said cheerfully, leaning against the railing. He turned to Kanda who just scowled. Lavi sighed. "Look, there was no other way. She's the only one who could pass for Allen. Could you imagine if we tried to use Kro-chan?" He smiled as he envisioned Krowly in Allen's coat. With his sheer height and Allen's small stature, it would probably end up looking more like a tight, black mini skirt. "I'm sure everything will be fine. Linalee's strong. She can take care of herself, and besides, she'll have you protecting her."

Kanda released an aggravated breath. "Damn bean sprout," he muttered. "He's going to get us all killed."

Lavi laughed uneasily. "You can't seriously blame Allen for this."

"I can," replied Kanda. "If this is a trap, then he fell into it. An idiot should be called an idiot."

"Well, we don't even know for sure what "this" is."

"Tch. All you do is utter worthless excuses."

"I'm not making excuses," Lavi said, uncharacteristic annoyance stealing into his voice. Kanda didn't riposte, which only succeeded in ruffling Lavi further. "He's sick. He could be dying. What do you want me to do, abandon him?"

"If need be."

"Yuu!"

Kanda turned to Lavi, eyes blazing. "So instead, you chose to abandon everybody else."

Lavi wasn't sure what came over him. He didn't feel his fist clench at his side and certainly didn't remember planning to strike Kanda. But somehow, his fist connect with the side of Kanda's face, felt the crush of flesh and bone beneath his knuckle and Lavi froze, green eye wide in shock.

"Oh crap, that was bad! I'm sorry, Yuu." Lavi leaned over, reaching out a hand to Kanda. He wasn't surprised when Kanda slapped it away.

"You-"

Lavi held up his hands, backing against the wall. "I'm really sorry. Please, don't kill me."

Kanda rubbed at the spot where Lavi had struck him, muttering small swears under his breath. Lavi was relieved that Mugen stayed securely sheathed at Kanda's hip.

"I care about all of you, probably more than I should," Lavi said quickly in his defense. "Allen, Kro-chan, Linalee, Yuu and everybody at the Order has become so important to me. I'm not just doing this because it's Allen. I would do the same for any of you, y'know?"

"Tch," said Kanda. "This is what we get for bringing the two most likely candidates for the heart."

"You know what," Lavi said, smiling. "I was thinking the exact same thing."

"I don't want to hear that from _you_."

Lavi laughed. "Sorry. Thanks for listening," Lavi added as Kanda made to leave.

"By the way," Kanda said, turning to Lavi. His eyes were like twin embers from a dying fire, radiating anger and unquenchable heat. Before Lavi could question, Kanda had clenched his fist and pulling his arm back, he punched Lavi square in the stomach. Lavi gasped and fell to the floor, clutching his abdomen and choking. "That's the second time you touched me. The third time, you'll find yourself holding that stupid hammer with a hook. Got it?"

Lavi managed to sputter out a "Yes, sir" before Kanda swept back into the room. Lavi figured he was lucky to get off as easily as he did. Spending more than a year unwillingly surrounded by friends seemed to have softened some of Kanda's rougher edges. However, Lavi realized as he gasped to catch his breath, Kanda really hadn't held back much at all. That punch had been serious. He picked himself up and followed after Kanda, not at all looking forward to having to accompany him in the evacuation.

"What happened to you?" Krowly asked as Lavi entered, still breathing heavily.

"Don't ask," replied Lavi, glumly. "What's up?" This was directed at Bookman as he ambled in.

"I've just spoken with Section Chief Reever,"

"And?" Lavi asked, zipping up his coat. He did a double check to make sure Ouzchi Kouzuchi was strapped securely to his leg. Not that he ever removed it, except for when he was fighting or using it to "fly", but it was a habit he had developed early on and never really felt the need to kick.

"The finder that had been assigned to investigate the innocence in this area appeared to have come down with, what we can easily assume, is the same illness as Allen."

"Really?" Lavi's head shot up, and a smile stretched across his lips. "That's great. So they know what he has, right?"

Bookman shook his head. "He died early this morning."

Lavi's expression fell. "How long?"

"Ten days after he arrived back." Krowly sucked in a breath at Bookman's words and Lavi felt his vision swim hazily before him. Lavi stumbled into a chair and dropped into it, and he had to control the shudder that threatened to run through his body. _Don't let them see your pain._

"So we're back to square one," Lavi stated, surprised on how smooth his voice sounded. 

"Not quite." Bookman frowned as Lavi picked up his head. The hope was blatant in that expression, his eye wide and child-like and he almost felt bad for the boy. Almost. "We now know the likely course the disease will take. That should give us a small advantage in figuring this out. We have all the pieces now; we just need to decipher the picture."

Krowly pushed himself to his feet and started moving toward the door. "I'll go assist with the evacuation."

"Huh? Evacuation?" Lavi blinked at Krowly. Realization set in and Lavi jumped to his feet. "Oh crap, Yuu's all by himself. We should hurry." A thin, long boned hand reached out and gripped Lavi's shoulder. The touch was friendly, but firm. Lavi looked into Krowly's face, and the expression he saw there was sad yet determined.

"You stay here with Bookman and sort this out."

"But-"

Krowly shook his head. "Allen is important to all of us. He saved my life and my heart, so I'd like to return the favor. We failed him once before, and I would rather not have those regrets again." With that, Krowly swept from the room.

Lavi was shocked at the words that Krowly said. They were the same words that had echoed in his own mind since the moment Allen had returned to them in a blaze of glory. So Lavi stuck close to Allen from that point on, insistent on protecting Allen for as long as he was able. He didn't want to blame himself or have those regrets again. But in the whorls in the bookman part of his mind, he knew that death was a part of war; as irreplaceable as the meaning behind it. Without death, war would be purposeless and never ending. Because then there would be nothing to lose.

"So, what are the symptoms?" Lavi asked, folding himself back into the chair.

"Following the ones Allen Walker is already exhibiting, the finder had also experienced swelling, pain, and vomiting."

Lavi closed his eyes and rubbed at his temple. "That's not much help, if you think about it. Hundreds of diseases have these symptoms. It could still be anything."

"Oddly," Bookman continued on, as if Lavi had never spoken. The only indication that Bookman had heard was evident in his frown. "Once the swelling began, the finder stayed conscious throughout the remainder of his life until two hours before death."

"How is any of this helpful?" Lavi slammed his fist against the table before he realized it. That was happening a lot to him lately; moving without thought of consequence, his actions vague and irrational. He had assumed he had everything under control. Yet all he felt was incessantly angry and it was eating him alive.

"It's helpful to know the answer to the question "what will happen?", Lavi. And that alone should be enough for you."

"I know, Gramps," Lavi sighed.

"All we can do is continue in the manner we have been going. Section Chief Reever will notify us when the autopsy is complete."

Lavi didn't even look up as Bookman left. The conversation kept repeating in his mind, the facts being obscured by one thought. _Ten days. And two of them are gone. _Now that they knew the course, would it be possible to slow it down? Could they buy Allen enough time for the autopsy to come through or an answer to be found? _Or for another miracle, _he asked, though to who, he wasn't sure.

Lavi's fingers had clenched into the table, and diminutive splinters had jabbed uncomfortably under his nails. A small drop of blood slipped down and blossomed on the surface of the wood; a luminescent ruby of a flower that signified life. Lavi tried to smear it away with his hand, but it just streaked his skin a sticky red, staining him.

He wanted to see Allen, right now. _Needed_, his mind taunted him.

Lavi slipped into Allen's room, not bothering to control his movements. He wanted to make as much noise as possible, wanted to wake the sleeping figure on the bed. The deep, even breathing frightened Lavi a little. He sat on the edge, feeling the mattress jump, but he knew that wouldn't wake Allen. So Lavi reached over and tried shaking Allen's shoulders lightly. He called his name, over and over in the darkness, but the drug had been strong. Allen was unmoving, the pale scraps of lashes twitching ever so slightly as he dreamed.

Lavi sighed and smoothed back wisps of hair from Allen's face; slack with what Lavi hoped was a peaceful sleep. He tangled his hands in Allen's hair, the blood from his fingers spindling fine crimson threads through the pallid strands.

Allen would live, Lavi told himself, dropping his head to Allen's shoulder. He would live because he was Allen and Allen would refuse to die. He had come through the fires of hell before and was better for it. He would live because if he died, so many people would mourn. He would live…He had to.

* * *

Apologies for the short chapter, the late (?) update, and the lack of Allen. I want to thank everybody for sticking with me through this. Ah, I hope I don't disappoint. 

Questions, Comments, Crits and Love are always appreciated. Thanks for reading :D


	7. Chapter 7

Mozart's Spirit

(A D.Gray Man fanfiction)

By P.A. Lovas

Pairings: Lavi/Allen, with some Kanda/Linalee.

* * *

7.

Everything was dark; black and palpable and a so very cold. A paper moon hung dismally, hatched into a sky that was dappled with listless dots that Allen assumed was supposed to represented stars. The moonlight was scraped over the dark surface of the water like thick, dense paint over the motionless swell of waves. Allen pulled his coat around himself, his breath bursting into small, swirling plumes in the chill. He wondered where he was. He was vaguely aware that this was a dream, and of having been to this place before. He didn't have much time to think over it as the sound of music touched his ears. It was the tinkering sound of a piano, growing more sure and vibrant as he moved closer.

He called into the blackness, his heart clenching with excitement in his chest. "Mana?" He had met with his foster father like this so many times, and he realized it had been a while since they had spoken, from what Allen figured, was inside of his heart. Because that's where Mana lived now. 

"Mana?" he tried again. The music was becoming louder, swelling and descending in the vivacious timbre of the lone piano. There was an indistinct outline of a figure in the darkness, illuminated only by a single spot light. The silhouette sat before what Allen knew were the contours of a grand piano, its shadowy fingers dancing over the keys, playing the haunting music. His heart squeezed and he tried to rush forward, but there was a wall blocking his path, vaguely purple and iridescent. The music stopped abruptly and he woke screaming Mana's name. 

"Whoa, easy there," a carefree voice said. Allen blinked the sleep from his eyes, the memories of the dream world receding like shadow as the day-lit world swam hazily before him. His senses were assaulted, first by the brightness of the sun that was beating down on him, intense and unrelenting to his sleep sensitive eyes. Next, he felt the chilly breeze but there was a warmth beneath him, pressing into his chest and wrapped securely around his legs. The warmth smelled faintly ashen, like the sweet, burning scent that came from blowing out a candle. The world came into focus, in vivid shades of orange, red, and green. Allen blink as Lavi smiled up at him, their faces only inches apart.

"Good morning, sunshine!" Lavi said happily, squatting low, allowing Allen to climb from Lavi's back at his own pace. The last time they had been in this position, Allen attempted to jump free but only succeeded in tumbling backwards in an ungraceful struggle. That had been fine then, as the ground had been covered with soft, cushioning snow. However, if Allen repeated that action now, he would find his head cracked against the stone paved roads. It was easier to allow him time to scramble to his feet then to deal with a concussion.

"Where are we?" Allen asked, taking in his surroundings. They were in what were obviously the remains of a town that had been torn apart by an Akuma attack. But how had they gotten here? He looked down at his clothes; a warm hooded sweater and a pair of slacks. "Where's my coat?"

"It's packed away safely in the off chance that any contaminants were on it," Bookman said in an offhanded manner. After all, lying was easy.

"Oh." Allen blushed slightly as he tugged at the hem of his shirt. Again, he was wearing clothes that he hadn't changed himself into. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Not too long. Only about half a day," Lavi explained, rubbing at his own shoulder. "What is it now, about noon-ish, Gramps?"

Bookman looked into the sky, dark eyes narrowing into the sun, nostrils flaring as if trying to sense the time. "Probably closer to one o'clock," he answered dryly.

"I think we're about do for a break, right Kro-chan?"

Krowly smiled. "Thank goodness. I was getting hungry." His stomach growled in agreement and Lavi and Allen laughed as Krowly blushed. "Sorry."

"No worries," said Lavi, walking off and the group followed after him, stopping at a small clearing that had probably once been the center of the town. A stone fountain had been constructed, having been drained from either the earlier attack or the townspeople anticipating a cold winter. Erected at the center was a statue of what appeared to be the angel Gabriel, smooth and beautiful and androgynous in its cold, stone perfection.

Something about the statue bothered Allen, sending a small shiver along his spine that nestled uncomfortably between his shoulder blades. Perhaps it was too perfect, too smooth, or too real. He felt that it might come alive at any moment, might step from its pedestal and start trumpeting on the stone horn pressed to marble lips. But there was no Christ-child to announce, no message to deliver, so the statue remained as it was and forever would be. Cold and flawless and unmoving.

There were small pockets around the fountain; a moat of dead grass and leaves, of broken twigs and dirt. Allen was sure that in the spring, this place would be beautiful, full of a variety of lively, colorful flowers. Maybe there would be orchids or rosemary, reaching up and unfolding in deep violets and pure whites or even exotic pinks. But there will be no one to tend to them, to clear the soil of weeds and ravenous insects, and the buds would be strangled and the petals would scatter. They would brown and decay and they would die, enriching a soil where nothing would grow. The thought of it made Allen sad.

The four of them sat along the edge of the fountain and began pulling their lunch from the parcels they carried. Krowly was frowning as he looked at the spread; the same dried meat, cheese, bread and fruit that they had been eating for the past three days. They had only allowed themselves the extravagance of eating out once, having stopped at a small, quaint little café the day they had arrived in Italy.

Krowly and Allen had fought over who would eat more, and Allen, being Allen, took the challenge a little too seriously. Krowly had been knocked out of the running when Allen had slipped red peppers into Krowly's tomato pie and Krowly's sensitive palate had been unable to handle the heat. He ran around in a panic, and managed to trip over a large, lumbering dog happily chasing a neighborhood cat and Krowly had splashed into the freezing lagoon. He had missed out on most of the rest of the meal, much to his chagrin. So it was understandable that he turned his nose up at the monotonous food, eating it quickly and in large amounts, but resentfully all same.

"Still not hungry?" Lavi asked, turning to Allen who was sitting a little away from the group, simply watching them eat. He handed him a glass of water which Allen accepted gratefully. 

"Not really," Allan answered, honestly. He learned his lesson the other night; he wasn't going to be able to outsmart Lavi in this.

"Not really, or not at all?" Lavi probed further.

Allen just shook his head, sipping at his water. It was cool and clean and felt good against his throat. For some reason, he still felt fuzzy around the edges and in the comfort of his friends he began to drift in and out. Lavi would shake him occasionally, forcing a piece of bread or meat into his hands and he would chatter incessantly at Allen until he ate what was given to him. Once Lavi's attention was elsewhere, Allen would tuck his chin down and doze lightly, still vaguely aware of his surroundings. Then Lavi would shake him again and then whole pattern would repeat itself until they had started packing and Lavi shook him once last time.

"Wake up, bean sprout. It's time to go."

"It's Allen," he mumbled sleepily, frowning as Lavi smiled infuriatingly down at him. Something that had been bugging him for a while clicked into place at that moment.

"Wait, where's Kanda and Linalee? Didn't they come with us?"

"They're helping some of the villagers evacuate," Lavi explained, flawlessly, though Allen noticed Krowly was shifting nervously, decisively not looking at Allen.

"Seriously?" Allen asked, unconvinced.

"Seriously," Lavi told him. "They'll catch up with us later."

"Lavi," Allen said in a scolding voice. "You better not be lying to me."

Lavi's expression was one of mock insult. "Allen, that's mean! Does this look like the face of a liar?"

"Yes," came three replies and Lavi frowned.

"You guys all suck." Lavi pouted and Allen stifled a laugh. Lavi turned to him, and though he was moping externally, there was something in his eye, a spark that he wore so frequently when Allen laughed or smiled.

"Idiot, let's get moving," Bookman's gruff voice spoke up.

"Sure thing, Gramps." Lavi heaved a bag over his shoulder and let out a small grunt. Allen felt bad, knowing that Lavi was probably sore from carrying Allen for as far and as long as he did. Allen wasn't the lightest person in the world.

"You alright?" Concern was evident in his voice.

Lavi smiled and ruffled Allen's hair. "Are you worried about me, bean sprout?"

"It's Allen!" he yelled, crossing his arms and glaring. "And no, I'm not."

"Of course," Lavi said and they began following after Bookman and Krowly.

It didn't take long for Allen's weak constitution to kick in. They barely made it a few miles outside of the town before he began to stagger slightly with every few steps. His head swam and his lugs constricted, the smallest movements making him pant, nearly gasping for air.

Lavi had already slowed his stride, but he stayed a few paces in front of Allen at all times. Krowly would occasionally turn back to assess the situation, his worry apparent in his face. With every gasping breath Allen took, Krowly looked like he wanted to cry. But Allen would just smile at him and wave a hand, silently telling him not to worry.

Each step Allen took reverberated painfully in his head and chest, so he found it difficult to be anything but eternally grateful when they decided to stop. Allen knew it was for his sake, but at that point he didn't much care. His pride had left him about a mile back, so he didn't fight too hard when Lavi's hands were on his shoulders, helping to steady him as Allen slid to the ground.

"I'm fine," Allen tried, though his voice was slightly hoarse and he was still gulping lightly for air.

"Yeah, like hell you are," Lavi said, but his voice was easy and calm.

Allen waited just a moment until he could breathe a bit easier before picking his head up and smiled sweetly. "Seriously, I think I'm just a little out of shape."

"Allen," Krowly started, but Lavi just met his gaze and shook his head. _Give him this one_, he seemed to say, so Krowly just lowered his eyes and clamped his lips together.

Bookman ambled over to where Allen was sitting and began checking him over. Hand on his head for fever, on his wrist for a pulse, checking his eyes and his lungs. Allen tried to fight, insist he was fine, but one look from Bookman seemed to silence him, and Allen didn't force the issue. After all, Allen had been on the receiving end of Bookman's punishments enough, more often than not due to something Lavi had said, or done, or not done. At this point, Allen knew better then to argue.

Removing his needles, Bookman began sliding them into the sensitive flesh of his right hand, into the harder, rougher skin of his left and into his feet. He twisted the needles, mumbling to himself, evidently less than happy with something. He handed Allen a small bottle of some sort of dense, black liquid. "Drink this," was all he said, and Allen obliged. It was bitter and repellent and it took every ounce of self control Allen had not to spit the vile concoction back up.

"Pretty gross, huh?" Lavi said, handing him a glass of water. Lavi smiled at Bookman who glared at him as he passed, tucking his needles back into his coat.

"Brat," he muttered and Lavi laughed.

The sky had just barely started to darken by the time they began to reassemble their gear. Lavi drew close to Allen's side, offering a hand to help him up. Allen frowned, but accepted it anyway, offering a "Thanks". 

"We'll move onto the next town where we'll stop for the night," Bookman explained as they started out. They all nodded in understanding, not really wanting or needing to speak. By this point in the trip, they were all a little worn out and, besides Allen, short on sleep. Even Lavi was too tired to hold up much conversation, only answering when spoken to or when something was too amusing to pass up. 

Once the foul aftertaste of the medicine had passed, Allen found he was feeling better, a bit more clear-headed and breathing was easier. He walked with his friends, managing to keep up his pace for a while. But as the night dragged on and by the time the sun had set, he was feeling more than a little drained. There was still a few miles left to the next town and Allen wasn't entirely sure he could make it. They began stopping more frequently for shorter intervals and Allen felt bad. He knew that if it wasn't for him, they would have arrived in town hours ago and everybody could have been fed and asleep by now.

"You alright?" Lavi asked, dropping to walk beside Allen. Lavi had removed his coat and draped it over Allen's shoulders as the air started to change from "cool" into "chilly". Allen now pulled it more tightly around himself, trying to hide his shivering, knowing it was useless. Lavi's eye saw everything. "Of course you're not," Lavi answered his own question.

Allen shook his head. "No, I'm fine," he said, his voice trembling through chattering teeth.

"I know this is hard on you, but we need to you to move on your own, alright? You can lean against me if you need to, but just keep walking."

"Keep walking?" Allen repeated, hearing the words so many ways; with his ears, his mind, and his heart. And he smiled, a full blown smile that cause Lavi to pause, looking a bit flabbergasted. "I can do that," Allen said, full of confidence and new found spirit. So he continued moving forward, but whenever he felt himself stagger, he would feel Lavi's hands steady him gently and hear Mana speak directly into his soul. _Keep walking. You don't have to do it alone, just keep walking._

* * *

I got nothin'… Thanks for the support and the love, as it's always deeply appreciated. You guys know who you are :3

Questions, Comments, Crits and Love are always appreciated. Thanks for reading :D


	8. Chapter 8

Mozart's Spirit

(A D.Gray Man fanfiction)

By P.A. Lovas

Pairings: Lavi/Allen, with some Kanda/Linalee.

* * *

8.

"How's it looking, Kro-chan?"

"Not so good," Krowly answered as he jumped from house to house. The roof creaked and sagged under his weight as he landed, and Krowly managed to leap to safety as it collapsed with a sickening crack. The next few buildings met with the same, unfortunate end; kicking dust and poison into the air with a groan. The town had been in the shape they had expected by the time they arrived; abandoned and half crumbling. Even so, they hadn't anticipated having this much trouble finding suitable lodgings. They knew it would be difficult, but they had been searching for almost an hour with no luck. Every house was either riddled with poisonous dust or had a hole blown through the side or collapsed without much of a fight. So it looked like they would be freezing to death tonight, that is, if they weren't poisoned or crushed first. Wonderful.

"It looks like everybody was attacked in their sleep," Lavi mused aloud, his hands cupped along the contours of his face as he peered through a darkened window. "There've been so many deaths here. That's going to make things difficult."

"Make?" Krowly asked as he jumped from another crumbling house. He landed next to Lavi and sighed. "It's already difficult. We should move to the next town and see if it fairs any better."

Lavi shook his head and though his scarf was tied securely over his mouth and nose, Krowly was sure Lavi was frowning beneath it. "We're all exhausted and it's practically midnight. Besides, Allen couldn't handle the walk."

Krowly couldn't disagree. When they had arrived in town it had taken both Krowly and Lavi to keep Allen from keeling over on the spot. But he had done good to make it that far, mostly on his own, driven by sheer will. "Why don't we just carry him?"

"We can't. The whole point of using Linalee as a decoy was to make them think that Allen's headed back the way we came."

"I don't think he's going to last for much longer," Krowly said, and was certain that Lavi was thinking the same thing. Neither spoke as they peered into windows, Krowly occasionally opening a door to venture in. But Krowly's words hung over them, causing Lavi to question their plan. Between Allen's strength and pride and Bookman's treatments, they figured Allen would be faring better. This idea had been validated by the news of the finder, who had managed to get almost all the way back to the Order before collapsing. _And inevitably dying_. Lavi shoved that thought roughly from his mind.

He swung his legs over the handle of his innocence, and extended it high over the town. He perched at the end, a hand aligned with his brow as he assessed the surroundings. The higher up he got, the worse the prospects look, and he sighed. But out of the corner of his eye, Lavi caught a glimpse of Allen leaning against the wall of one of the more sturdy houses.

Allen was holding the corner of a sleeve against his mouth in order to filter the air he was breathing, probably on Bookman's orders. Even though Allen was a parasitic user, they didn't want to take any chances while so unsure of the nature his illness. Allen's complexion had grown paler, nearly ashen at this point and Lavi tore his gaze away, resuming his search with renewed vigilance.

Somebody must have been smiling down on him (or decided to finally cut him a break), because not more than a few minutes later Lavi noticed a house barely concealed in the distance. He steered his hammer to the ground and jumped off, tucking it over his shoulder once it was a suitable size.

The house that came into view was significantly smaller than the others, which might explain why it had gotten overlooked. It seemed to shrink into the darkness, as if it was embarrassed by its heavy windows, crooked shutters, and rusted door. Somehow, the house seemed appropriate and Lavi called for Krowly.

"Kro-chan! I found something so get over here!"

"I hear you." Krowly appeared suddenly, his fiendish appearance and billowing cloak making it seem as if he had risen from the grave rather than dropped from the sky. "And stop calling me that," he added gruffly as he entered the house. Lavi watched through the window as Krowly walked from room to room, assessing. After a moment, he gave Lavi a thumbs up.

Lavi heaved an audible sigh of relief. He stepped into the house, looking around. It was comfortable and dry, even if it was a little dreary and cold. It appeared that nearly everything was made of wood; it was old and creaking and sagging, but the house was sturdy and clean.

"Right, I'll go get Gramps."

"Maybe I should go instead," Krowly offered, watching Lavi a bit uneasily.

"What? Why?"

"Allen's a bit," Krowly thought on this a moment, "delicate at the moment, and you're just not very good at landing."

Lavi let out an exasperated breath. "I land fine," he grumbled, even though he knew Krowly spoke the truth. He didn't look back as he flew away from the house. He planned to disembark next to Bookman, but things don't always work out the way you plan. Instead, he overshot the landing and ended up hitting into the side of the house and coughed as dust swelled up from the new wreckage. "Good thing this town's already been destroyed."

"That's a horrible thing to say," Allen said, giving Lavi a black look.

"Idiot," Bookman added.

"Sorry, sorry. But before you lynch me, I found us a place to stay."

Bookman helped Allen to his feet, passing the ailing boy to Lavi. Lavi gripped Allen's shoulders, frowning as they shook lightly with Allen's shivering.

"Perhaps it's safer if we walk," Bookman deliberated as Lavi increased his hammer's size.

"I land fine, you stupid old panda!"

"Brat," Bookman shot back, landing a kick against the side of Lavi's head.

"What was that for, old man?!" They bickered back and forth for a while, tossing insults and punches and Allen watched on, laughing lightly. "Come on. Let's go," Lavi said, grabbing Allen. There wasn't much time to argue as Lavi pulled Allen against his chest and with an "Extend!" they zipped into the air.

"Lavi, wait a sec!"

"Hang on tight," Lavi said. His voice was warm against the back of Allen's neck. "We're almost there."

The trip was rather calm, and the landing was surprisingly smooth. Lavi wrapped an arm around Allen, steadying him as Lavi tucked his hammer away safely before ushering Allen into the house. Allen shivered and pulled Lavi's coat up to his chin. The house was drafty and cold, but that was to be expected, he supposed. But he was tired and his joints ached painfully from the walk, so in spite of the flaws, it was beautiful.

Allen watched as Lavi dropped their baggage into a corner of the room, waiting for his attention before asking, "Are you just going to leave him?"

"Who?" Lavi looked up, seriously perplexed. "Gramps? Nah, he wants to look around. Don't worry, I told him where we're staying."

"When?" Allen asked and then waved it off. Those two had always had a silent bond of communication between them and more than likely, the answer lay somewhere within their fight. Allen was tired and didn't really want to hear the explanation. "You know what, never mind."

"Come on," Lavi said, taking Allen by the elbow, pushing him to sit in front of the barren hearth. "Sit over here and I'll start on a fire."

"No need," Krowly said as he came into the room with an armful of timber. "I'll handle the fire. If we left it to you, you'd alert the enemies to our location, that is, if you didn't cook us all first."

"What is with everybody today?" Lavi groused. "I'm not an idiot, you know."

"I'm not so sure…"

Lavi looked down at Allen with a look of non-belief. "Allen! Not you too."

Allen smiled, reached up and ruffled Lavi's hair in the same fashion that Lavi always did to him. "You'll live."

"I wouldn't place any bets on that just yet," Lavi said, setting a hand on Krowly's arm as he tried to tuck the wood into the fireplace. "Where did you get that?"

"It's all over the place," Krowly answered slowly.

"Is that wood from the attack? You can't burn that! That's all we need to do, heat the Akuma poison into the air so we can breathe it in. Slowly. All night."

"Oh yeah," Krowly said, looking rather embarrassed. 

"Don't worry," Allen whispered to Krowly. "He's just grumpy because he's tired."

Lavi sighed. "You're right. I'm exhausted, so let's hurry and find some firewood that won't murder at least half of us." Krowly nodded his consent as he walked from the room, and Lavi made to follow. Something snagged the hem of his shirt, causing him to stop and turn in order to discover the source.

Allen stared up at him, wide eyed and nervous. "I'm sorry."

"Why?" Lavi laughed lightly. "Don't tell me the poisonous fire was your idea," he teased.

Allen just shook his head and averted his eyes. "It's my fault all of you are so tired."

"That's not true," Lavi said, softly. He crouched down so they were almost on eye level and began untangling Allen's grip on his shirt. Lavi ran his fingers through Allen's, seemingly at a loss for words.

"It is," Allen replied back, his gaze falling to their hands. A small blush colored his face, creeping up from under his collar. He snatched his hand away abruptly, suddenly feeling transparent and more than a little self-conscious.

"I gotta go help Kro-chan," Lavi said rising to his feet. Allen didn't look up, just hung his head, keeping his eyes fixed on the floor and Lavi dropped a light touch to the top of Allen's head. Almost as if he was trying to convey wordlessly that he wasn't upset. "I'll be back soon. Don't move around too much, kay?"

"Lavi, wait!" Allen cried out as Lavi reached the door. Lavi turned, and with a small cock of his head, he smiled softly and expectantly. "You'll need this." Allen began removing the coat Lavi had lent him.

"Nah, it's ok. You keep it for me," Lavi said, and he left, tying his orange scarf over his face.

* * *

Allen dozed as he waited for his friends to return. His eyes slid closed so many times that he lost track of how long it had been since he was left alone, and each time he forced them back open, he wondered on the time. It had been pitch black and starless when they had arrived at the shattered town, so it seemed impossible to judge. He could only assume the worst each time his eyes snapped open. An hour? Two hours? He would pull Lavi's coat more tightly around himself and hear his parting words, _Don't move around too much_, though the emphasis had been placed on the "don't move" part. And Allen, not wanting to be even more of a bother, obliged.

The scent on the coat reminded him of when he had first woken against Lavi's shoulder; that sweet, smoldering smell that spoke of warm fires on cold nights. It spoke of laughter and soft touches and unrelenting concern. And as Allen breathed the memory deeply, he realized he hadn't felt so utterly alone in a long while.

He jumped a little as a soft thumping sound spooked him from his reverie. The noise vanished, only to return minutes later, and Allen could almost hear labored breathing behind it. He rose to his feet, panic gripping him and his blood fairly boiling in his veins. But his eye didn't activate, which meant it wasn't an Akuma. But he hadn't eaten much in days and Allen knew his eye and his innocence didn't handle that well. And besides, Akuma weren't the only things to fear, he reminded himself. This only strengthened his resolve and he walked through the pain, through the stiffness in his knees that reverberated each step back uncomfortably, and through the haze of fever that left the edges of the world dimly tarnished and cloudy.

He removed Lavi's coat and issued a small apology to it, as if it could pass on the message to its owner. But it belonged to Lavi who seemed to understand everything, so as Allen folded it gently and placed it in front of the fireplace, he was sure Lavi would get the message. He rose to his feet and drew in a deep breath, willing his body to hold out long enough to discover the whereabouts of his comrades.

"Sit down," came a weary, brusque voice. Allen whipped around toward Bookman, instantly regretting the act. The world swam listlessly back and forth though his vision, the motions repeating in his stomach. He clapped a hand to his mouth and slipped to his knees.

Allen brushed off Bookman's assisting hands, needing to get through the waves of nausea on his own. If he couldn't do that, such a tiny thing, Allen knew there was no way he would be of any use. If he couldn't fight, he was worthless. "Please," Allen said around the bile that rose in his throat. He pushed it down, choked on it, once, twice, and then it was still. "Please let me go."

"Go where?" Bookman asked, and Allen finally looked up, meeting his eyes.

"Everybody's out there because of me, so please…" Allen's voice was small, pained, and close to tears.

Bookman just let out a breath that seemed like a cross between a groan and a laugh. "Teenagers are all the same, no matter how you dress them." He rolled his eyes. "You all think the world revolves around you."

"But-"

"Those two are out gathering firewood, which they would have had to do whether you were here or not," Bookman explained, ushering Allen to sit in the chair he pulled out. They both looked up as the thumping sound returned, this time followed by a loud, audible swear. "There you go. They're stacking the wood against the house, so just sit down and stay put."

Allen felt humiliated for the second time that evening and resigned himself to Bookman's ministrations, quietly. Just as Bookman was finishing up his examination and handing Allen another small vial of the horrendous black liquid, Lavi and Krowly burst through the door and collapsed onto the floor overdramatically.

"Are we done?" Lavi groaned.

"So tired..."

"Ah! Kro-chan you can't fall asleep here!"

"Eliade…" Krowly mumbled in his sleep.

Lavi shook Krowly's shoulders and slapped him on the back. "I said don't fall asleep in the doorway. Wake up, damn it!"

"Brats," Bookman grumbled.

Allen laughed in spite of himself. He felt all his embarrassment and fear and anxiety slip away and he smiled honestly and from the heart. "Welcome back," he said, and offered a hand to both of his friends.

* * *

I got nothin... 

Questions, Comments, Crits and Love are always appreciated. Thanks for reading :D


	9. Chapter 9

Mozart's Spirit

(A D.Gray Man fanfiction)

By P.A. Lovas

Pairings: Lavi/Allen, with some Kanda/Linalee.

* * *

9.

The fire crackled in the fireplace, warm flames licking in shades of orange and yellow, sizzling white and hot. The heat swelled from the grate and spread pleasantly over the house, lulling the occupants into a state of contentment. Allen was huddled close to the fire, swathed comfortably in one of the bed sheets from a neighboring room. He sighed easily. His head seemed a bit clearer now that he was warm and comfortable, and the ache from his joints seemed to drip effortlessly away, melting before the heat, and for the first time that day, he relaxed completely.

Allen looked around the room heavy-eyed, and smiled at how predictable everybody's actions had been. Krowly was sitting cross legged on the floor, rummaging through bags for food, chewing lazily on whatever he happened to find and Bookman had retired himself to what Allen could only assume was the kitchen. His medical books were spread across the table while he scribbled furiously at something, and Allen wondered what it was that made Bookman scowl so deeply at his text.

Lavi had practically collapsed after he stoked the fire and was currently asleep, his head pillowed in Allen's lap. Allen had offered to get him a real pillow, but Lavi just murmured sleepily, "This is good, too". There was no time to argue as Lavi's eye slipped closed and his breathing deepened and he was gone.

Allen wasn't sure when he had fallen asleep, but he awoke after a while with a painful crick in his neck. His head had drooped to rest on his shoulder and the repercussion was an uncomfortable tightness between his shoulder blades. He straightened his chin and shifted uncomfortably, wondering when he became so delicate.

"Stop shuffling," Lavi's voice carried up, hazy with sleep.

"Sorry," Allen said, unsure why he was apologizing. After all, he wasn't a pillow. He tried to explain as much, but Lavi hadn't wanted to listen, so it was hardly Allen's fault if Lavi was unhappy, right?

Lavi picked himself up as Allen continued to squirm. He blinked sleepily and yawned. "What's wrong?"

"My neck hurts," Allen explained, but held up a hand, stopping whatever fawning Lavi was probably considering over. "I just fell asleep on it weird, so no need to go overboard."

Lavi stared blankly at Allen for a moment, exhaustion, anxiety, and amusement all battling across his face. Soon, a foolish smile spread over his features and he pulled Allen down. He spread his left arm underneath their heads, his right draping lightly across Allen's waist.

"Lavi!" Allen yelled and tried to squirm out of the hold. But Lavi's voice was rough and warm against the back of his neck.

"Just a few more minutes," Lavi whined. He yawned heavily, dropping his head to the curve of Allen's neck. His breathe was wet and so very hot against Allen's skin.

After a moment, Allen turned in the embrace, wanting to see what sort of expression Lavi was wearing. Lavi appeared to be asleep, hair spilling over his forehead, and Allen reached up with his right hand and brushed some of it away. Lavi's eye stayed closed, but a smile spread slowly across his face. He slid his hand into Allen's and twined 

them together before pressing his lips against Allen's fingers. Allen sucked in a breath and stiffened, but he didn't move, found that he _couldn't_, and Allen prayed that Lavi wasn't able to hear his heart. It was hammering so loudly in his chest that Allen was sure any minute Krowly or Bookman would come into the room, inquiring over the noise.

Lavi opened his eyes, his gaze meeting Allen's and holding it. He raised a thumb from their joined hands and brushed it softly over Allen's face before dropping his forehead against Allen's lightly. They were barely a breath away, eyes wide and mouths open and acutely aware of the closeness. Then, in a split second, as quickly and bewilderingly as it all began, Lavi pulled away completely. His smile vanished and he sighed. "You eat yet?" Lavi asked. His voice was normal; perhaps even a touch colder than usual.

Allen managed to shake his head as he scrambled to his knees, more than a little confused and quite flustered. What was all that? He wanted to ask, to question what had just happened (or rather, what hadn't) but Lavi was behaving as if nothing was different. Yet Allen noticed a stiffness in Lavi's shoulders and a small narrowing of his eye as he shuffled through the bags. "Aw man, Kro-chan already got to these, huh?"

Allen made to call to him, but Lavi was already at his feet and walking into the kitchen. Allen was surprised at first, feeling shunned and troubled, but as he thought on it more, he started to get angry. Surely, Lavi hadn't done that to tease him, had he? Allen narrowed his eyes and stood up, dropping the blanket from his shoulders. He draw in a breath as his knees protested and his vision swam out of focus. The nausea was hitting him in vicious waves, but he gritted his teeth and leaned against the wall, willing it to pass.

"What are you doing?" Lavi asked, rushing to Allen's side. He slid an arm around Allen's shoulders, trying to move and steady him at the same time.

But Allen wouldn't concede this time. He pushed away sharply, slamming his back against the wall, eyes lidded angrily and mouth set in a thin line. "I'm not an invalid, you know."

Lavi took a step backwards, genuinely confused. "I know you're not," Lavi said softly, reaching a hand out. He frowned as Allen slapped it away.

"Then don't treat me like one."

"I'm not."

"What's going on?" Krowly asked, poking his head in from the kitchen. He took in the situation with a look, Allen glaring at Lavi who appeared to be flustered and a little guilty. "Oh no, did Allen find out about Kanda and Linalee?"

Lavi groaned and pressed a hand to his head. Krowly couldn't have picked a worse time to let that slip. Next time, he was sedating Krowly, too.

Allen looked from Lavi to Krowly and back again. "What's that mean?"

"Well, um, funny story…"

"Somehow, I doubt it," Allen said, scowling.

Krowly and Lavi met each other's eyes and sighed. "They're not coming," Lavi finally explained.

"Why not? What happened?"

"It's nothing like that," Krowly said, dismissing Allen's panic. "Linalee's pretending to be you to lure the Akuma after her instead."

"Kro-chan! You're not helping, ya know." Lavi reached out, grabbing onto Allen's arm as he tried to brush past him. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going after them," Allen said.

"No, you're not. What do you think you'll be able to do like this?"

"I'm fine!"

"God damn it, Allen, you're not fine!"

"How would you know? You haven't left me alone for more than three seconds to try anything for myself!"

Lavi's expression went from frustrated to shocked before finally settling on irate. "I guess I didn't realize I was such a bother!"

They faced off, glaring at each other and breathing heavily. Krowly had slipped into the corner, looking as if he was trying to fuse himself into the wall as Bookman entered.

"All of you, shut up."

"But-"

"You, sit down." Bookman just pointed a finger at the chair, and Allen slid into it, looking tearfully enraged. "Go and cool your head," he said to Lavi, his voice dripping with disappointment.

Lavi's fists clenched at his side and he stormed from the room without a backwards glance. Allen followed him with his eyes, struggling internally. He was still angry that he was kept in the dark; in fact he was downright livid. Yet, he had said such horrible things to Lavi and succeeded in upsetting both Krowly and Bookman. He was ashamed of himself, yet his worry for Linalee's safety wasn't so easily extinguished. But he did what he was told, though he decided he was going to stay mad for a while.

* * *

"Damn it!" Lavi slammed his fist against the side of the house, dust palling around his hand in a small, grimy plume before dispersing into the air. His fingers curled and he dropped his head against the splintered surface, closing his eyes and drawing in a deep breath.

How had things gotten so utterly fucked up? Just moments ago, he held Allen in his arms, heard him sigh and had almost kissed those trembling lips as he envisioned doing so many times. Lavi was almost sure he knew how Allen would taste; pure and clean, and maybe faintly sweet. He would taste of strength and pride and loneliness and of innocence lost. And it had taken every ounce of his will to pull away, to keep himself from making a huge mistake in finding out.

Lavi was the successor to Bookman, which meant these emotions were frivolous and fleeting. He would eventually be forced to throw them away, to envision this emotion and tear it apart. But somewhere in his heart, he knew he could no more kill these feelings then he could kill Allen himself. At some point, he found himself daydreaming; no longer of tomes and maps and fact after fact, but of his friends. They were dreams of the war ending and Lavi _staying_ with these wonderful, amusing people. Of watching them grow older and growing older with them. And his secret wish was to spend those days with Allen, making him smile. He never grew bored with that smile.

But Allen was angry with him, yelled hurtful things in a way he never had before…at least, not at Lavi. Their friendship had always been so simple, even when it was at its most difficult. They rarely had uncomfortable silences or loud words and no matter how long they were apart or what they were feeling, they always slipped back into the easy camaraderie they shared. Even the first time they met had been that way; nostalgic and warm, not so much a _meeting _as it was a _finding_. As he ran these thoughts through his mind, Lavi wondered if he had been screwed from the get-go, and figured that was probably the case.

"Are you alright?" Lavi turned to see Krowly peeking around the corner of the house, warily.

"Yeah, sure. You need something?"

Krowly shook his head. "Bookman sent me to make sure you were ok."

"Gramps said that?" Lavi asked, skeptically.

"Well, he actually said to make sure you didn't do anything stupid," Krowly told him uncertainly.

Lavi let out a bitter laugh and slid down to sit cross legged on the ground. "You're a little late for that." He heaved a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. "Allen's pretty mad, huh? Not that I can blame him."

"I'm sure he'll get over it. I mean, you guys have never really fought for real, right?" Krowly asked, dropping to sit next to Lavi.

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, that just means you two were about due for one. Friends fight all the time. The more time you spend with somebody and the more you care about them, the more you fight. I mean, even Allen and Linalee have fought before." The look in Krowly's eyes hinted he was speaking from personal experience, which meant he was probably thinking of Eliade.

Lavi seemed to consider this. "Then I guess Yuu must _really_ care about Allen then."

Krowly chewed on his thumb nail, frowning. "Somehow, I think that's a different situation entirely."

Lavi laughed. "I think you're probably right. Thanks a lot Kro-chan."

Krowly's painted lips spread into a smile, elated that he could help his friend. "You're very welcome."

Lavi pulled his knees to his chest and sighed. "I just wish Allen wasn't so damn stubborn, ya know?"

"Would you change him, then?" Krowly asked, giving Lavi a small, knowing look.

"Huh? Change him?" Lavi reflected. Allen was stubborn and full of pride, but it was those very traits that had brought Allen back from the dead and returned him to his friends. Allen was a plethora of contrasts; sweet and bitter and dark and pure. Everything about Allen's personality peaked Lavi's curiosity, which is probably a big part of his interest in Allen. "No," Lavi finally said, smiling into his knees. "I guess not."

* * *

The winter winds howled and shook the tiny shack in its frigid anger. Allen pulled the bed covers more tightly around him, the shaking of the house echoing through his body. He was so very cold. He had been shuffled into the bedroom by Bookman earlier and Allen was subjected to more medical examinations. And though the bed was soft and comfortable, in the bitter cold, Allen longed for the warm fire in the living room.

He slipped his feet to the floor, and his joints ached softly as he padded through the darkened room. He moved slowly, deliberately, his knees protesting the act and he had to bite down a pained grunt as he felt his way along the wall. Allen cried out as he tripped suddenly over a darkened lump in front of the door. The lump groaned and Allen approached it warily, poking it with his foot.

"Whazzah big idea?" The lump grumbled fuzzily.

"Lavi?"

"Yes?" Lavi's head poked out of the blankets as he sat up, his eye half lidded and he looked around in sleepy confusion.

Allen smiled and leaned over, peering at him quizzically. "What are you doing sleeping here?"

"Huh? Where?" Lavi yawned and blinked away the last traces of slumber. "Wait, where are you going?"

Allen frowned at the accusatory tone in Lavi's voice. "Are you guarding the door?"

Lavi rose to his feet and pushed his hair messily away from his face. "I'm going to let you know, there's nowhere to run. Kro-chan's sleeping on the other side."

"I wasn't trying to leave."

"Then what's up?"

Allen hung his head and lowered his eyes. "I was cold."

Lavi's expression softened as he stepped forward, placing a hand to Allen's forehead. "Ah, Your fever's up again. Back to bed you go."

Allen wanted to fight against it, maintain that he was ok, but Lavi's hand was warm and firm on the back of his neck, insisting. So Allen allowed himself to be led back, forgetting that he was supposed to be angry. He watched as Lavi tucked him in, making sure Allen was well covered and warm enough before turning to leave and something in Allen broke. He reached out and grabbed a hold of Lavi's hand. "Don't go," he whispered.

Lavi looked down at Allen for a moment his expression blank and unreadable. "Lonely?" Allen shook his head. "Then what?"

"I'm sorry."

Lavi smiled and dropped to sit at the edge of the bed. "Does this mean you forgive me?"

"Maybe…"

"Well that's good. You're almost as scary as Yuu when you're mad." Allen watched as Lavi chuckled to himself and Allen pushed his hand forward, lacing his fingers through Lavi's. Lavi froze and just gazed back and after a moment, he brought Allen's hand to his mouth. He placed a kiss to each of Allen's fingers and to his palm, watching, judging the reaction it had. And when Allen didn't pull away, Lavi smiled.

"Do you have any idea what you do to me?" Lavi asked, and Allen just blushed, shaking his head. "Well, then maybe I need to show you." He leaned over and cupped Allen's face between rough palms. He watched as the fair scraps of lashes fluttered closed and once he was sure that Allen wanted this too, Lavi tilted Allen's chin up and pushed their mouths together.

Lavi moved slowly, relishing the small, whimpering moans he was eliciting from Allen. _Easy_, he told himself, not wanting to scare Allen by moving too fast. But sometime after Allen's arms wove themselves around his neck, he lost all rational thought. By the time his mind came to, he was on the bed, settled between Allen's legs as they kissed furiously. And Lavi had been right; Allen's mouth tasted faintly sweet. He slid his hands under Allen's shirt, and was rewarded with a deep intake of breath.

"Your hands," Allen said as their mouths untangled briefly. "They're hot."

"All the better to warm you with."

"Lavi, that-" Allen never got to finish as Lavi's lips were on his again, rough and needy. And Allen gave in, allowing Lavi to strip him of his clothes, to run calloused fingers over him, excitingly. Allen gasped and twisted beneath him, feeling self-conscious and a bit mortified under that incisive green eye. "Don't watch," Allen pleaded, placing his hands to Lavi's eyes.

But Lavi pushed them away easily, and kissed Allen deeply. He drove Allen mad, touching him with hands and mouth and tongue, stifling his moans with parted lips. And through the night, Lavi whispered Allen's name over and over as if it were as gentle and fleeting as a prayer, and Allen sighed many times over in Lavi's arms.

* * *

I hope this makes up for the late post. Seems we're truckin' along. Oh, btw…episode 75…the water scene…NOM NOM NOM. That's all I got.

Questions, Comments, Crits and Love are always appreciated. Thanks for reading :D


	10. Chapter 10

Mozart's Spirit

(A D.Gray Man fanfiction)

By P.A. Lovas

Pairings: Lavi/Allen, with some Kanda/Linalee.

* * *

10.

Lavi folded his hands behind his head and hummed happily as he walked. He looked down at Allen who was walking beside him and Lavi smiled and laughed in a childish fashion, causing Allen to flush nervously when their eyes met.

"You alright?" Lavi asked and Allen nodded, though he was moving even more delicately than usual. "I'm sorry. I've probably made things difficult for you, huh?"

Allen shook his head furiously, his blush starting from below his collar and crept up, turning his entire face a dramatic shade of red. "I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"More or less," said Allen, tugging his hair in front of his eyes.

Krowly noticed the sudden change in atmosphere between the two and slowed his large stride, shrinking back to walk along side them. It didn't appear as if they were fighting again. In fact, ever since he woke, Lavi was in as good of a mood as Krowly had ever seen him in, and Allen kept stealing small, cheery glances at Lavi. "What's going on?" Krowly asked. He jumped back a little as two sudden and very resolute replies of "Nothing!" were practically screamed at him.

"What makes you think there's anything going on?" Allen asked. His laugh was uneasy and a little too loud.

"Allen," Lavi leaned in, speaking in a low tone. "You're being too obvious."

"So are you," Allen shot back.

"I am not."

"You are! You've been singing to yourself all morning."

"That just means I'm happy. Didn't anybody tell you? I'm a happy person."

"If by _happy_ you mean _obvious_, then yes, you are."

Krowly cocked his head, watching Allen and Lavi. Their heads were bowed together as they whispered relentlessly at each other. "So, I take it you two managed to make up last night?"

"Yep," Lavi said, smiling brightly. He added so only Allen could hear, "Twice."

"Lavi!" Allen hissed, flushed, and punched him in the arm. Lavi just laughed.

"I'm glad," Krowly said. "It's always nice when friends can bury the hatchet."

"Don't," Allen scolded quietly, shoving a finger in Lavi's face as he opened his mouth to retort. Lavi pouted slightly, but tucked his hands behind his head and obliged. _What a shame,_ he thought. _That would have been such an awesome pun._

* * *

The mood on the other side of the canal was not quite so cheery. In fact, one might describe it as downright somber. Kanda scowled as he hoisted Linalee up higher onto his back, her boots digging into his hips. He's been carrying her in this fashion for the last day and a half, and though the girl was pretty and fit, she got a little heavy after the first twelve hours. But Kanda wasn't one to complain, at least, not about a mission. So he just grit his teeth, and kept walking.

Overall, the mission, thus far, was a complete failure. Not a single Akuma or Noah or anything made a move to attack them and they had only accomplished in convincing a handful people of the dire need to evacuate the town. Well, Kanda hadn't really managed to persuade anybody. He had slammed his fist on a few doors and muttered "Get out or die" and he didn't much care that nobody had followed him. Lavi, on the other hand, managed to sweet talk six townspeople into fleeing, and it hadn't taken Kanda or Linalee long to figure out why Lavi was the only successful one.

Kanda frowned as a girl tugged at the hem of his sleeve. She was a tiny girl, no more than six or seven years old, her brown hair pulled into two braids that were decorated with tiny bows."Mi fanno male i piedi," she said, her mouth turned down into a pout.

Linalee looked down at the girl and spoke slowly. "Are you ok? Do you need something?"

The girl just stared back with dark eyes, wide and unblinking. "Non capisco."

Linalee sighed. "I don't understand what she's saying."

"Who cares?"

Linalee slapped him on the back and scolded him. "That's terrible! What if something's wrong?"

Kanda scoffed. "Then she should go back." The girl plucked at his coat again and he looked down, scowling. "What?" he hissed between clenched teeth.

The girl gasped and she ran back to the other villagers, hiding behind the skirt of a robust woman. She peeked out, watching Kanda warily, eyes large and watery. Kanda swore.

"Idiot rabbit. This is all his fault."

"Lavi couldn't take everybody." Linalee twisted in Kanda's hold to look behind her at the rather anxious looking group. "He's got his hands full with Allen-kun. I wonder how he's doing," she said wistfully.

"Who cares," said Kanda again.

Linalee sighed. "You don't mean that." Kanda just made an irritated noise and heaved Linalee higher, wrapping his arms around her thighs and he felt her squirm a little. "I don't see why I can't walk. I'm supposed to pretend to be sick, not crippled." Ever since she regained the use of her legs, Linalee was adamant against not being carried. As long as she was able, she would walk, stand, and fight on her own two feet.

"It's for the sake of appearances," Kanda explained, and he heard Linalee sigh.

"I know. I still don't like it, though."

Kanda grunted his reply, and Linalee understood that to mean that Kanda was finished with the conversation. So she simply tightened her arms around his neck and surrendered herself to the silence.

* * *

Allen was grateful. Because Lavi was preoccupied with his thoughts, and Bookman was preoccupied with watching Lavi, and Krowly was…well Krowly was Krowly, which meant he was wonderfully oblivious to it all. Allen was grateful because he finally had a moment to breathe and think without somebody trying to fuss over him, or feed him, or ask if he was "ok".

Allen had been concerned about what would come to pass, once everything that happened sunk in. In fact, he had been rather apprehensive that Lavi would have gotten worse with his coddling, but it seems that last night managed to convince him that Allen wasn't going to break. In fact, Lavi had tested that premise fully and, all-in-all, their relationship seemed to have returned to normal. Well, for the most part.

So Allen didn't let on was how awful he was feeling. The ache in his joints was becoming rather intense, stiffening his knees painfully. He was glad that he had an excuse to offer Lavi for walking so sensitively, and although Bookman was most likely guessing the real reason correctly, if Allen didn't push the issue he knew Bookman wouldn't either. Bookman just continued to examine him at every resting point, and Allen bit down on his lower lip to keep from hissing in pain when Bookman bent the swollen limbs.

The nausea, on the other hand, Allen kept hidden. He no longer tried to push himself to eat the ridiculous amount of food that he used to be able to put away. He did, however, manage to match what Bookman and Lavi were eating and that seemed to be enough to keep them quiet. But as they moved forward, Allen had to choke back on the bile rising in his throat. He could almost feel his stomach rejecting the food, and by the time they got to the next break, Allen was at his limit.

The spot they chose to stop in was a small clearing within the stretch of trees they had concealed themselves in earlier that day. The trees offered them minimal protection from the harsh chill coming off the water and from any potential prying eyes. Though, Allen could still see the canal if he squinted through the dying sunlight and between the winter-dormant branches. He supposed this would be a better refuge in the warmer months.

"What's up?" Lavi asked as Allen began shying away from the group. He had been rummaging through a knapsack for something, matches most likely, but Allen's movement managed to capture his full attention.

Allen swore internally, but just smiled sweetly and brushed off Lavi's concern. "I just need to use the bathroom. I'm sure I can manage that on my own."

Lavi seemed to consider saying something, but noticed Bookman's gaze flit in his direction. So he just smiled and returned to his hunt. "Try not to get lost on the way back, 'kay?"

Allen let out a sigh of relief and walked deeper into the grove. He waited until he was out of view before falling against a tree, sucking in deep breaths through clenched teeth. The pain was immense and unrelenting, but Allen shoved it down. He had been through worse. But he couldn't ignore the churning in his stomach or the bile rising from the back of his throat and he slipped to his knees, ignoring the pain as he threw up. It felt like a lifetime before the heaving subsided. Once Allen was sure he had no more to give, he wiped at his mouth and the tears that had slipped from his eyes, and he rose to his feet, slowly.

"Allen?"

Allen froze as Lavi's voice echoed softly through the trees, so near. Allen was sure the pain was showing on his face, but he schooled it behind a smile and stepped toward the direction Lavi's voice had come from.

"I'm right here," he called.

Lavi turned, a look of relief flooding his features, but it was gone as quickly as it came. Lavi was now smiling his easy smile, his hands tucked behind his head, ankles crossed. "I thought I had jinxed you when you didn't come back. You were gone for a while, you know."

"Sorry," Allen said. "I'm ok. I just got a little lost."

"I figured." Lavi laughed and moved closer. He reached out to Allen's shoulders with both hands, and ran his palms over Allen's arms. Allen gave into the touch and sighed as Lavi wrapped him in a warm embrace. "We should get back," Lavi mumbled into his hair, and Allen just nodded in consent, though neither body made an attempt to move. Somehow, in Lavi's arms, Allen felt better; a little lighter, a bit warmer, and quite sleepy.

Lavi played with Allen's hair, pulling his fingers through the soft strands at the nape of his neck. He smiled as Allen shivered and he ran his hands along Allen's jaw and under his chin, tilting his face up. For a moment, it seemed like Allen was going to let Lavi kiss him; he leaned in and started to close his eyes. So Lavi was surprised when Allen's body stiffened and he pulled free of Lavi's hold.

"Allen?" Lavi was watching him carefully, his visible eye narrowed in confusion. He grasped at Allen again, trying to bring him closer, testing. But Allen panicked and turned his face away. "What's wrong?"

"Um, it's nothing. Really. We should get back before they come looking for us,"" Allen said, and he wasn't sure if he was relieved or devastated when Lavi let go.

"Yeah, sure. You're right," Lavi said, and even though Allen was sure Lavi trying to hide it, Allen could still hear the rejection in his voice.

They didn't speak as they walked back to the clearing, and Allen wanted to groan when he saw there was food spread out before them.

"I found him," Lavi said. "Next time, we'll make sure to tie ribbons on the trees so he can find his way back."

Krowly laughed and Allen made himself join in, though he wondered over the cheerful tone that Lavi spoke with. He tried to catch Lavi's eye, but it appeared as if Lavi was decisively not looking in his direction. Allen even tried to brush his hand against Lavi's as he was handed his rations, and his heart throbbed sadly when the touch was ignored.

He knew Lavi was upset and that he had every reason to be. Allen considered over telling him the truth, explain that he'd gotten sick and there was no way he would ever spurn Lavi's advances under normal circumstances. He considered bowing his head and begging for forgiveness, or lying, or even throwing himself into Lavi's arms. But even if they weren't in view if Bookman's discerning gaze, Allen's pride would never allow for it. Besides, Lavi was never one to hold a grudge and he bounced back from things rather quickly. Allen felt badly, but he knew Lavi would forgive him in time. So instead of trying, Allen just lowered his eyes, buried his emotions, and pulled his hair in front of his eyes as he waited.

* * *

Bookman watched the scene out of the corner of his eye. His idiotic apprentice thought he was being clever, that he was pulling the wool over Bookman's eyes. He thought Bookman didn't see what was happening, and what had probably already happened. It was ridiculously obvious, especially in the way they were acting now. Allen had the look of a wounded dog, kicked and frightened to move and Lavi was snubbing every attempt the boy made to get his attention. Lavi was brushing Allen's hand away and avoided looking directly at him.

Something had happened under the shadow of those trees, though Bookman wasn't entirely sure what. But somehow, Lavi had been rejected in one way or another, and Bookman actually allowed himself a bit of hope that 

maybe the rejection had been absolute and indefinite. Maybe that was all it would take and Lavi would be able to get past this on his own, without Bookman's intervention or Allen's impending death.

Yet somehow, despite all this, Bookman knew it was too late. It was already there, in the way that Lavi smiled to big and laughed too loud. He was hurting badly, but trying to cover it up. If Lavi didn't face this, he would be buried under it, unable to escape, and Bookman supposed that was his fault.

Bookman never taught Lavi how to deal with his emotions, and instead, focused on teaching him to conceal them, destroy them, or feign indifference. He saw all his blunders in hindsight; saw now how he had failed to mold his apprentice properly. He had forced Allen Walker onto Lavi, and continued to push, even after he knew Lavi was weakening. He thought if could just keep Lavi focused, remind him of his duties, of who they were and what they stood for, that Lavi would come to his senses. He had never doubted for a moment that Lavi would make it through. And Bookman started to realize how completely and utterly wrong he was.

* * *

AN: I thought I was due for putting in a real author's note, instead of one sentence drabbles. So, here we go.

First of all, I want to thank each and every person who has commented and reviewed. I'm overwhelmed on how some of you feel and I'm deeply touched. "Thank you" doesn't seem to cut it, but here it is anyway. Thank you so much. All of you.

Second, I know I'm slacking on the updates. My original intention had been 5 pages (or 2,400+ words) each day, but as the story began to progress, I found that I would have to make a choice between speed and quality (especially since I'm playing as my own beta. Ack). I want to try to keep everybody at least in _semblance_ of "in-character" which is becoming increasingly more difficult as we continue forward. I have no intention of giving up on this story, and I hope that you won't give up on it either. We're just getting started, so buckle up and grab a snack, because we're in for the long haul. :D If anybody has any suggestions or ideas or critiques, please don't be afraid to share. All your words and well wishing won't be overlooked and taken into consideration.

And as always…

Questions, Comments, Crits and Love are always appreciated. Thanks for reading :D


	11. Chapter 11

Mozart's Spirit

(A D.Gray Man fanfiction)

By P.A. Lovas

Pairings: Lavi/Allen, with some Kanda/Linalee.

* * *

11.

He fell asleep; he must have, because the darkness was back, wrapping thickly around him. But this time, there was no paper moon or confetti stars or painted ocean; just all consuming darkness. He tried to call out, but the night reached out with thick black fingers, slipping deep into his throat, stifling him. He couldn't speak, couldn't _breathe_. He clawed at it, but shadows were not tangible and couldn't be caught between grasping hands. He fell to his knees, wondering about something he had heard long ago. If you die in your dreams, do you die for real? Allen was certain he was about to find the answer as he choked on the darkness.

He was vaguely aware as the hum of melody flooded somewhere above him, the same tinkering music from the last dream. It seemed to chase away the darkness, and Allen gasped, coughed and breathed in deep, full breaths of air. The piano played louder, and the shadow seemed to hiss as it receded slightly, revealing a previously veiled path. He stood slowly and stepped lightly. Each step illuminated beneath Allen's feet, sounding of piano notes, resounding loud and chiming and clear. He realized he was playing a duet, the phantom music matching the pace of his stride, quickening or slowing along with him. And when Allen stopped, so did the song.

As if waiting for this, the darkness screamed, lunging forward, and Allen took a wary step forward, testing. His foot met the road with a small sound. _Tink_. The shadow slowed. He took two more steps. _Tink clink. _The shadow heaved backwards.

It was the music, he realized. The chiming melody was keeping the darkness at bay, so Allen kept moving forward, no longer fearing the night. He moved quickly, the ghost player following his lead, and Allen wondered how long the song would continue, sure that whatever he was looking for was at its end. Sure that's where he would find Mana.

The crescendo swept high, swirling through the darkness in an array of colors; red and blue and a startling indigo. They danced to the song, twisting and spinning in the air before falling back down, and the music stopped and all was still.

Allen froze as the spotlight clicked on, reveling the shadowed pianist as he slid onto the bench, cracking his fingers. He black chest heaved once, and then there was music. It was the same song as before, but slower and sadder as it played the lonely melody.

"Mana?" Allen called to the figure, but the wall was back, swirling in the hues of the song. He put out his right hand, the colors slipping between his fingers and up his arm. His gasped and tried to pull away. It wrapped tightly around him and the colors melted together, turning a sticky purple. It burned at the flesh on his arm, and he cried out, but his arm was stuck firmly in the wall. He clawed at it with his left hand, felt his flesh open beneath the black nails. He yelled for help and kicked himself awake.

* * *

"Mana!" Allen bolted upright, his breath coming in small, frightened gasps. He clutched at his chest and blinked the hazy remains from the dream world from his eyes. His arm still prickled and Allen's rubbed at it as the pounding in his chest began to slow. He sighed, relaxing bit as the real world came into view, lit dimly by the fire and moonlight. Allen shivered and pulled his blanket around himself more fully, but the blanket felt oddly leathery to the touch. He realized after a moment that there was a jacket draped over him…Lavi's jacket.

Allen looked up and met Lavi's gaze. Lavi was sitting cross-legged on his blankets and his chin was rested in his hand, thoughtfully. The reflecting fire light turned his eye a clear, yellow-green and the way Lavi watched him, 

unblinking and a little warily, reminded Allen of a cat. They simply stared at each other, unsure of what to say, uncomfortable with the silence but fearing what words might lie within. Lavi was the first to give in. He offered Allen a smile, tight and unsure, but very real. Allen smiled back. And just like that, everything was good again.

Allen made a move, clearly one indicating his intention to try and stand up. It wasn't long before Lavi was at his side, hands on his shoulders, pushing him back down. "Let me come to you, 'kay?" Lavi said, dropping to sit beside him and slid his coat back around Allen.

"What's wrong? Couldn't sleep?" asked Allen, stretching his aching knees out in front of him.

"Nah. It's my turn to keep watch. Kro-chan took the first shift, and we'll switch back in about another three hours," Lavi explained. Lavi pulled out a pocket watch that Allen knew belonged to Krowly, looked at the face once, and then snapped it closed.

"I see. Well, I guess since I'm awake now, I'll take the next shift."

Lavi raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "Nah, it's cool. We can't baby Kro-chan too much, or we'll spoil him, right?"

Allen was about to fight this, to insist that he help, too. But he looked into Lavi's face, took in sound of his voice, the warmth of his smile, and Allen wanted to cry. "Please don't hate me," Allen whispered, instead. He was taken aback when Lavi laughed. He had expected soothing words, a kind smile, or even his hair to be ruffled. But _laughing_? Allen narrowed his eyes. "It wasn't supposed to be a joke."

"I'm not laughing at you, bean sprout."

"It's Allen!"

Lavi put a finger to his lips, motioning to Krowly and Bookman who were sleeping a small ways off. "I wasn't laughing at you, Allen. I was laughing because I was wondering how to ask you the same thing. Irony and all that good stuff, ya know?"

Allen just shook his head. "Not really. I mean, why would I be mad at you? You didn't do anything wrong."

Lavi smiled fully and let out a small, childish laugh. He pulled Allen gently against him and wrapped his arms around his chest. "You have no idea how happy I am that you said that."

"Why?"

Lavi got silent, seeming to mull over his words. It was rare that Lavi thought before he spoke. More often than not, he would say the first thing that came to mind and only seemed to choose his words this carefully when he felt it was important. So Allen leaned back into the embrace and waited dutifully. "I thought maybe I was just assuming things, you know, between us? I thought that maybe you didn't see what happened in the same way I did."

Allen shifted nervously at Lavi's words. "Well, that depends on how you saw it."

Lavi tightened his hold on Allen, and again, thought over what he was going to say before he said it. When he finally spoke, he sounded as anxious as Allen had ever heard him before. "I guess…I guess I saw it as more than just a fling, you know?"

Allen sagged against Lavi, relaxing at his words, and laughed lightly. "You guess?"

"Nah. I know."

"Me too," said Allen. He lifted his face, trying to see Lavi's expression as he dropped his chin to the crook of Allen's shoulder.

"Allen, I-"

Allen clapped his hand against Lavi's mouth, stopping the words. "Don't. Please, don't say what I think you might say, and even if you weren't going to say it, I…I just don't want you to." Allen knew he was stammering, talking too fast, and probably embarrassing himself, but he was more worried about what Lavi might say. What if he said it? What if Lavi said he _loved_ him? Allen was sure he couldn't handle that, at least, not again. The last person to say he loved Allen was Mana, and in his despair over losing him, Allen had been quite willing to make a deal with the Millennium Earl. In the end, he had hurt Mana and Allen ended up cursed and lonely and unable to forgive himself. History was said to repeat itself, Allen had heard that somewhere, and he didn't want to be a willing participant in this scenario…Not again.

But as always, Lavi seemed to silently understand and, instead, just placed a kiss to the hand over his mouth before pulling it away. He let out an exaggerated breath and shook his hair in front of his eyes. "You almost killed me there, bean sprout."

"It's Allen!" Allen hissed at him in a low whisper and elbowed Lavi in the stomach. Lavi flinched and grunted in pain.

"Hey, that was uncalled for," Lavi pouted.

"Well, maybe next time you'll listen. It's hardly my fault that you're such a child."

"Allen, I'm three years older than you are."

"Well, physically, yes."

"Well, then you should respect your elders, brat," Lavi said, smiling into the curve of Allen's neck, and Allen sighed, despite himself.

"You know, you sounded just like Bookman when you said that."

Lavi recoiled. "Ugh, don't say that."

Allen laughed quietly, happy that they were able to slip so effortlessly back into the easy friendship they shared. Sure it was great that things had moved forward for them, and Allen had to admit, it had been great…really great. Although, maybe not at first. For a while, it had been awkward and as clumsy as two blunt objects banging together. Lavi seemed to be unable to commit to anything and Allen was sure he was planning to slowly torture him. But after a little while, he realized that Lavi was _studying_ him, and before long, once his lesson was complete, Lavi passed the test. With flying colors. Even so, Allen knew he would never, ever admit such a thing, and especially not to Lavi.

"Alleeen," Lavi's voice sang low in his ear. "You're turning bright red."

Allen shivered as Lavi's breath caressed his skin. "I am not."

"Allen, are you thinking impure thoughts again?"

"Shut up," Allen said, frowning. He could feel Lavi smiling against the back of his neck.

"Hey, Allen," Lavi said after a little while.

"Hm?"

"Let me see your arm."

"Huh?" Allen blinked in confusion. He tried to turn in order to see Lavi's expression, but he could only see the blunt planes of his nose. "Why?"

"You've been scratching at it for a while now," Lavi explained, reaching down towards Allen's right arm. "Your rash is worse again, isn't it?" Allen didn't answer, but it was more of a rhetorical question; Lavi thinking out loud, more than anything else. Lavi clicked his tongue, annoyed as he pulled Allen's sleeve up. "I'm sorry," Lavi finally said after he was done examining him and he slid his fingers though Allen's.

"What are you sorry for?"

"Because I stressed you out unnecessarily."

"You didn-"

Lavi shook his head and cut Allen off. "Now wasn't the best time to start all of this. I knew that, I just couldn't control myself. Gramps was right about one thing; emotions really do blind you to what you should know."

"How so?" Allen asked, genuinely interested. Allen never once regretted caring for his friends, in fact, the only regrets he had was that he was unable to do _more_ for them.

"I sorta forgot for a while there what was happening. I was so caught up in everything that I forgot you were sick. That you _are_ sick."

"I'm fine. Seriously I am," Allen said quickly, feeling rather anxious. He wasn't sure how much longer he could fool Lavi, or really, if he was even fooling him at all. Allen felt bad about lying, but when he recalled how timid everybody had been around him, he pushed it aside. Allen knew things were getting worse. He was getting sick after almost every meal, and he knew the only reason he was able to sit up now was because he had Lavi to lean against and his stomach was empty. He would tell everybody in time. Until then, he would hide his pain. He was good at that. "Besides," Allen added. "I'm happier this way. You finally started talking to me again, and smiling at me. Lately, you would just talk _about_ me and frown. It was annoying and…it made me miss you."

"You know," Lavi said, his lips brushing lightly against Allen's skin as he spoke. "I never thought this, with us, would happen. I thought for sure you would punch me, or reject me, or even hate me. That's why I was pushing so hard. Well, at first."

"You wanted me to hate you?" Allen shifted a bit, and turned to face Lavi. He raised an eyebrow as he waited for the answer.

"Kinda," Lavi said. "I mean, I'm not supposed to care about you, Allen. Not like this. And, besides, it's not like I have any real practice with these sorts of things. In fact, it all kinda scares me a little, to be honest."

Allen buried his head into Lavi's shoulder and breathed deeply, wishing for a moment that he had Lavi's ability to remember every detail. After Mana, nobody had ever held him and Allen had forgotten how nice it could feel. Lord knows, Cross never offered such tenderness, and honestly, Allen didn't think he would have wanted him to. But this was different and Allen longed to always recall this warmth, knowing that one day it would be a comfort to him when he was alone. "I'm sorry."

"You should be," said Lavi slowly, and Allen trembled. When Lavi spoke like that, in those low, throaty tones, it made Allen shiver from a secret place inside him. It made him want to wrap his arms around Lavi's neck and fall in whatever direction Lavi chose. That voice could bring him to surrender, so completely and utterly, if that's what Lavi desired.

"I'm sorry," Allen whispered again. He felt Lavi's fingers slide under his chin, tilting his face up.

"You wrecked everything, you know," Lavi said, dropping a kiss to Allen's forehead. "I had everything figured out. I had my whole life planned." He kissed Allen's eyelids and ran his lips over the silken scraps of lashes. "Before you, I knew what I wanted."

"And now?" Allen wasn't sure where he found the breath to ask.

Lavi dropped a kiss to the tip of Allen's nose, trailed his mouth down his cheek and along Allen's jaw, nipping lightly. "And now, all I want is you." He pulled Allen's face to his, so close that they were breathing each other in. "You wrecked _everything_. You owe me."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Don't go," Lavi said, pushing their lips together. "Just don't ever go."

* * *

Drabble drabble. I was feeling sappy, can you tell?

Questions, Comments, Crits and Love are always appreciated. Thanks for the comments and thanks for reading :D


	12. Chapter 12

Mozart's Spirit

(A D.Gray Man fanfiction)

By P.A. Lovas

Pairings: Lavi/Allen, with some Kanda/Linalee.

* * *

12.

They needed to hurry, Lavi knew that. They fell way behind in the past three days, with Allen only able to walk about a mile at a time of his own accord. They soon realized that, secrecy be damned, Allen was going to need help. So Lavi and Krowly each took turns carrying Allen on their backs, much to Allen's chagrin, but Lavi was sure he would get over it.

It offered Lavi some consolation that at least they were moving at a faster pace. In fact, they had made much better time than when Allen was able to walk on his own. Today however, wasn't looking so great. Allen seemed to be in pain continuously, and they had to start making more frequent stops again to let him rest. Lavi could almost see all the added time they had made slip away, and he had to step on his panic more than once.

The swelling in Allen's joints had escalated to a point that he was unable to directly hide the pain and it could no longer be overlooked. Bookman took advantage of the recurrent opportunities of rest to drain some of the fluid from each of his knees and elbows, and though still tender, Allen appeared to be a little more at ease afterwards. Lavi had watched the ritual the first time and he resolutely came to the conclusion that once was more than enough. Not only did the whole thing make him queasy, but the process seemed to distress Allen more and more as time went on. In fact, it was beginning to look like everything was hurting Allen.

Lavi winced as he hoisted Allen higher onto his back and a small, pained whimper slipped past Allen's lips. "Sorry," Lavi said, not sure if Allen could even hear him. He appeared to be asleep, his head cradled into the curve of Lavi's neck, but a small murmur of "'s ok" answered Lavi's question. "Go back to sleep," Lavi told him, and Allen just made a small sound in the back of his throat, and Lavi hoped that noise signified compliance.

Allen hadn't been sleeping well recently; in fact, he hardly seemed to be sleeping at all. Sure, he would doze constantly, but on the rare occasions that he managed to stay asleep for more than an hour, Allen would wake up screaming and clawing at himself. The flesh on his right arm had been scratched red and raw and bloody, and Bookman had taped it up heavily, warning Allen that if he didn't stop, he would end up with a two disfigured arms. Allen made a face at the comment, but said nothing, though Lavi was sure it hit a deep seeded spot of insecurity.

The sun was starting to set lower, dusting the road in its dying light. As always, as each new evening dawned, Lavi felt dismayed. And as always, he turned to Bookman and asked "How much further?"

The same response; "That depends".

This time, despite knowing the answer, Lavi asked, "On what?"

Bookman looked at Lavi, judging if he was serious. After a long moment, he sighed and shook his head. "Idiot."

"If it depends on Allen, then shouldn't we just keep going? I mean, he's not getting any better the longer we stop."

Krowly slowed his stride and poked his head next to Lavi. He peered at Allen who appeared to be asleep, though he was pale, sweating, and seeming to struggle with each breath. "I think Bookman might be right. He looks terrible."

"I'm fine," came Allen's voice, causing Krowly to jump back in alarm. Allen pulled open his eyes and gave Krowly a small smile. "Sorry. Are you alright?"

Lavi and Krowly looked at each other, a bit shocked and unsure. But after a minute, Krowly laughed, and Lavi followed. Leave it to Allen to be in this condition and still worry about upsetting his friends. "Kro-chan's just a big fraidy-cat, Allen. You don't have to worry about him."

"I'll have you know that I am _not_ an "afraid cat". In fact, I believe you're a cat, Lavi."

Lavi blinked at Krowly, uncertainly. Did he just call him a cat? The small giggle that came from Allen confirmed that Lavi wasn't hearing things. "No, Kro-chan. I wasn't calling you a cat. It means…wait. What do you mean I'm a cat?"

"If I recall, you were rather jumpy the first time we met."

"Of course! You were _eating people_!"

"Not people," Allen said, giving Krowly a reassuring look. "Akuma."

"That's right," Krowly said, matter-of-factly. He puffed out his chest and thrust his chin into the air.

"Well, we didn't know that at the time! And Allen, don't be so smug back there. I recall you being rather skittish, too."

"But I wasn't the one carrying garlic and a stake."

"That was a joke!" Lavi grumbled as Allen laughed. "You better watch it or I'll drop you."

"Sorry," Allen said, tightening his arms around Lavi's neck. The word whispered warm against his ear, making Lavi shiver.

"Yeah, well, alright. I'll forgive you, this time."

"How about we agree you're all idiots?" Bookman said. Three heads turned to him, gaping in disbelief as a small smile tugged at Bookman's lips.

"Whoa, I didn't know pandas could tell jokes. Now all we need to do is get him to juggle and ride a tricycle and we have ourselves an act!"

Bookman frowned but said nothing. However, later that evening, as soon as Lavi placed Allen down, Lavi received a very firm kick to the head.

* * *

"This is stupid," Kanda said.

"Everybody needed a break," Linalee explained with a sigh, handing him the sandwich she made. When he didn't take it, she frowned and thrust it at him, forcing it into his hands. "We've been going for days, only stopping to sleep _occasionally_."

"So?" Kanda frowned as he peeled back the bread. He began pulling out the insides of the sandwich, tossing aside the parts he seemed to find offensive.

"How can you say that?" Linalee asked, eyes narrowing and lips forming a pout. "They're just normal people, you know. They're not trained in the same fashion we are, so they need to rest more often, especially at the pace we've been going and can you STOP throwing your food on the ground?!"

Kanda just made an irritated noise and pushed the bread back together. He took a small bite, scowling. "If they don't like it, they can turn back."

Linalee smoothed Allen's coat against her as she dropped to sit next to him. Kanda had procured a fallen log as his seat as soon as they settled down and she frowned and nudged closer to him as a spider crawled up from between the knots in the wood. "I know you don't mean that, so I'm going to pretend you didn't say it."

"Tch."

Linalee reached over and grabbed half of Kanda's sandwich. "I'm sorry it's not soba, but it's the best I can do right now." She took a bite and chewed it thoughtfully. Swallowing, she frowned and opened the bread. "This is just bread and mustard. Did you take everything out?"

Kanda just shrugged. "If you don't like it, give it back."

"Of course," Linalee said, handing him back the half she stole. She smiled as he ate it quietly and placed a hand on his shoulder as she stood. She made rounds, offering sandwiches and apples to the villagers. They looked at her warily at first, but in the end, they all gratefully accepted and ate quietly. It hadn't taken them long to figure out that the male exorcist didn't approve of loud noises. He would scowl and glare at them, and occasionally, his hand would twitch to the sword at his side, if things ever seemed to get more than a little rambunctious.

Linalee understood their reluctance, and tried to offer them reassuring smiles and kind words. She knew that they didn't understand most of what she said, but she believed kindness could transcend the language barrier. At least, she hoped so. She knew they were losing patience and some of them seemed to even be questioning the validity their original statement. No Akuma had appeared to convince them that the two people who were ushering them away from their homes spoke the truth. And more than once, she had seen them whisper to each other and look back the way they came.

The little girl in pigtails came up to Linalee and tugged at her sleeve. Linalee smiled at her and asked, "What's wrong, sweetie?"

"Avere sete."

Linalee blinked. "I'm sorry. I don't understand," she said. Linalee shrugged her shoulders in an over exaggeratedly manner, trying to convey her confusion.

"She's thirsty," Kanda answered.

"How do you know?"

"Because she just said so."

"I thought you couldn't understand her," Linalee asked, sincerely confused.

"I never said that. You did."

Linalee gawked at him. "Then why didn't you say something earlier."

Kanda let out an aggravated breath. "Because all they do is complain. It wasn't worth mentioning."

Linalee opened her mouth to say something. She intended to scold him, say something about being rude and indifferent. But this was Kanda, and he hadn't changed that part of himself since the first day she met him so many years ago. And if she hadn't altered his personality yet, she figured she probably wasn't going to. But as she watched him shake their canteen and walk toward the canal she wondered over her previous thought. Maybe he was a little different after all.

* * *

"So, what'd the Order have to say?" Lavi asked as Bookman exited the building. He was a bit bristled that Bookman made Lavi chauffeur him across the canal to the town on the other side, than refused to let him listen to the call. Well, actually that wasn't exactly how it happened. In truth, Bookman instructed Lavi to raid the remains of the town for medical supplies and food, which was a rather important task. But Lavi was irritated, so he was going to be childish and irrational.

"The autopsy didn't reveal anything we didn't already know or that would prove overtly useful. They're still trying to isolate the cause."

"So the answer is 'nothing', huh?"

"Not nothing," Bookman said, a little irritated at the tone in Lavi's voice. Being illogical was nothing new where Lavi was concerned, though Bookman couldn't help but become mildly discouraged at how frequently it was happening.

"Well, they didn't tell us anything new or helpful. Sorry, Gramps, but that sounds like a whole lot of 'nothing' to me."

Bookman sighed. "If you listened I said it wasn't _overtly_ useful."

Lavi peaked up at this information. "Then we know something?"

"We know that whatever this is was ingested at some point."

"He ATE it?" Lai furrowed his eyebrows together as Bookman nodded.

"It would appear so."

Lavi shook his head. "Somehow, that seems fitting for Allen. So why is this not useful?"

"Because judging by the enormity of his usual appetite and seeing as it was the first thing to go, it was something I had already figured on."

Lavi was stunned. He had never heard this. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It seemed fairly basic. I didn't think I had to until now," Bookman said, obviously disappointed. "I had wrongfully assumed that you were thinking along those same lines."

"Look, you can preach to me later, Gramps. Did they say anything else?"

"Section Chief Reever says that he sent out something to help, and it should arrive shortly," Bookman relayed.

Lavi seemed to consider this. "What are they sending?"

"He didn't say."

Lavi frowned. "What? And I'm guessing you didn't ask."

Bookman shook his head. "There was no need. Until we receive it, it's better not to count on it."

"I guess that makes sense, but I still would have asked," Lavi said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Lavi," Bookman said, his voice holding a warning tone. "For what reason would you have asked? Would it be as a successor of Bookman, or perhaps it is for other reasons?"

Lavi sighed. He was used to this question, in fact, Bookman seemed to be asking it more and more in the past year. However, it still made him a little edgy whenever Bookman would question him like this. And there was something different this time in Bookman's voice. Was it anxiety? It was almost like he expected a different answer out of Lavi this time, apart from his usual flippant response.

"You're worrying for nothing, Gramps," Lavi said, tucking his hands behind his head as he started walking back toward the canal. "I haven't forgotten."

"Are you sure?"

Lavi stopped, turning around at the question. Bookman had never pushed the issue further once Lavi had reassured him that he remembered his duties. He felt a little worry begin to gnaw at the back of his mind. There was no way Bookman knew, right? Lavi was a master at hiding his emotions, wasn't he? Somewhere in the analytical Bookman part of his brain, Lavi knew he had screwed up. He had become so wrapped up in Allen, in warmth of him, that he had let himself slip. He had worn his apathy like a second skin, and somehow, along the line, that mask had fallen off. Lavi was embarrassed he didn't realize it sooner.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Lavi said anyway. He wasn't ready to face what choice he knew Bookman was going to have him make. He needed time to think. And with everything in his world crumbling down around him, he knew the answer wasn't going to be easy to come by.

* * *

Wah! So sorry for the uber late update. I started playing FFVII: Crisis Core and in the awesomeness that is that game, I kinda got distracted. So…oops. But, it seems we're back on track as far as plot goes…sorta. Thank you all for sticking through this with me. You guys all rock 3

Questions, Comments, Crits and Love are always appreciated. Thanks for the comments and thanks for reading :D


	13. Chapter 13

Mozart's Spirit

(A D.Gray Man fanfiction)

By P.A. Lovas

Pairings: Lavi/Allen, with some Kanda/Linalee.

* * *

13.

Every bone in his body ached and every muscle felt pulled, taunt and raw. Allen felt as if his body was exposed, the air biting and cruel. The music and the colors were back, taunting him in shades of pink and violet as he clutched at the edge of a precipice, his legs dangling dangerously. The darkness had shrouded the cliff, and Allen had just barely managed to grab a hold of the rocky edge or else he was sure he would have fallen to his death, that is, if one _could_ die in a dream. He felt the earth crumbling beneath his hands, and struggled to pull himself up. But his body was hurting so badly.

"Innocence activate!" He tried again, but his left arm didn't react. He couldn't even find the warm, green-colored connection within himself.

"There is no Innocence here," the colors sang, high pitched and laughing. "Without Innocence, you are nothing. Just give in and fall. Dying is fun."

"Shut up!" Allen shouted and swiped at the colors. He gasped as he felt himself begin to slip, and latched back onto the edge with both hands. With a burst of strength that was spurred by his anger, Allen managed to hoist himself further onto solid ground. He swung his legs up and over, and Allen fought through the pain with deep breaths through grit teeth. He felt the hard ground under his touch, felt the rocks biting into the flesh of his hands. Wait…hands? He stared at his left hand, wide eyed and apprehensive as he slowly removed his glove.

For a moment, he forgot how to breathe. His hand wasn't black or red. It wasn't covered in hard, ugly skin. It was pale and smooth and the nails were clear and pink. There was no glowing green cross embedded into the back of his hand and most of all, he could _feel_ it. Allen felt tears slide down his face. He wasn't sure if he was angry or scared or relieved, but the emotion welling inside of him was powerful, never the less.

The colors cackled and swept lower, wrapping themselves around Allen while he was distracted. Allen lashed out at them, swinging his arms futilely, trying to grasp at the giggling void. He cried out when the colors touched his skin, burning through the flesh on his arms and it touched his lips in a scorching kiss.

"Let's have fun like this again," the colors seemed to whisper, before they engulfed Allen entirely. He yelled as his blood boiled, and it felt as if his skin was on fire. He tried to get away, stepped backwards, once…twice, and then fell over the edge of the cliff, screaming.

When he awoke, his throat was sore and his comrades were watching him, startled. Allen clapped his hand over his mouth and crawled a little ways off from his bed before throwing up. He felt Lavi's hands on him after a moment, warm and comforting, while smoothing back his hair. Even so, Allen could only focus on one thing: His hand was still black. Here, there was Innocence.

* * *

"Call!"

Allen spread his cards out slowly, the sweet smile on his face concealing the demon within. " Four card."

Lavi smiled and threw his cards down. "Two pair, ace high."

"I have all reds," Krowly said, proudly.

Allen and Lavi turned to each other and sighed. "Krowly, that doesn't mean anything."

"EH?!"

Lavi laughed and thumbed his nose. "They need to be the same suit, not the same color."

Krowly blushed and stuttered. "B-but, that's not fair!"

Allen laughed maniacally. "All's fair in poker. You should be using any means necessary to win!"

"Allen, that's a little much…." Lavi eyed Allen warily and pulled himself back a little, but overall, Lavi was happy. Allen had been unable to sleep again after waking from his nightmare and spent a good part of the evening tossing and turning. Lavi picked up on his discontent and commandeered a deck of cards and Krowly, and the three of them started up a game of poker in front of the fireplace. The house they were squatting in was old, decrepit and drafty, and most of the rooms had been blown through. But the fire was warm and at least they were out of the rain.

Allen was seated closest to the fire, and Lavi had tried to wrap him in blankets, but these were thrown aside as soon as the game started; Allen claimed they got in the way. Lavi figured that meant it they would slow down Allen's cheating. Allen was restless and more than a bit uncomfortable at times, but the aftershock of the dream seemed to be fading and at least there was a light back in his eyes…even if the glow was an evil one.

Lavi did learn one interesting fact; if Allen didn't cheat, Lavi could probably beat him at cards. Allen's tell was in his eyes, a fact that somebody less observant would never have noticed. If the cards were bad, his eyes would focus a little harder. If the hand was good, his eyes would glint malevolently. Even with this knowledge, Lavi resigned himself to Allen's cheating and to a night of losing.

At least he wasn't losing as badly as Krowly. Lavi was down his headband, his scarf and one boot. Krowly was currently down to his boxers, shivering and crying. Allen was fully dressed, although Lavi had forced Allen to remove his ribbon when he got caught cheating on the first hand. Allen fought this initially, but eventually relented, though it only succeeded in goading his black-side. Since then, Allen was pulling off nothing short of "four of a kind" and "royal straight flushes". But Lavi turned a blind eye; Allen looked like he was having fun, though, sadly, at Krowly's expense.

"Lose the shorts."

"Allen, that's mean."

"A loss is a loss. You need to pay up. I could always take it out of your hide if you don't want to."

Krowly started to weep as Allen laughed and Lavi figured now was probably a good time to intervene. "Allen, let him off the hook for now. It's pretty cold in here."

Allen seemed to consider over this. "Well, ok. This once." He smiled at Lavi. "But somebody's got to pay."

"Huh?" Lavi balked.

"Come on. Pay up," Allen said, giving Lavi his sweetest smile.

"You're a demon, you know that right," Lavi grumbled and tossed his other boot into the pile of clothes. Allen just continued to smile.

"I don't like this game very much," Krowly said, wiping at his nose with the back of his hand.

Lavi stared at Krowly for a moment, noticing something was off. "Kro-chan, let me see your arm." Krowly obliged, and Lavi frowned. There were small red and white bumps running up from his wrist to the curve of his elbow. "How long have you had this rash?" Lavi asked. The three of them looked at each other, alarm passing between them.

"I didn't know! W-w-what do I do?" Krowly stumbled, wide eyed and nervous. He quickly began gathering his clothes, and hugged the pile to his chest.

Lavi rose to his feet and pulled on his boots. "Alright, there's no need to panic just yet. Let's go see Gramps," Lavi added, his tone more casual than he felt. Lavi looked over his shoulder at Allen as he ushered Krowly from the room. Allen was decidedly not watching them as he pulled his hair over his eyes. Lavi knew what Allen was thinking, but he wasn't able to find words to comfort him yet. He would come back after he knew what was going on, have all the facts gathered and explain things to Allen. Lavi just hoped Allen didn't do anything too stupid while he was gone.

"Hey, Gramps, you there?" Lavi called over the pile of books Bookman was behind.

"What?" Bookman rasped out, not bothering to look up as Lavi leaned over.

"You should look at this," Lavi said. He motioned to Krowly, who was standing just behind him, his clothes still clutched tightly in his arms.

Bookman smiled just a little. "I take it this means you lost," he said to Krowly.

"Not that, you old panda! This!" Lavi pulled Krowly's arm toward Bookman, showing him the rash. Lavi was surprised when Bookman barely glanced at it before turning back to his research.

"Hm, interesting."

"Interesting?" Krowly choked out. "How is this interesting?"

Bookman picked up his head and looked at Lavi. "Let me see your arm."

Lavi pulled back his sleeves, showing the smooth skin on his forearms. "Nothing." Lavi was going to question what Bookman was getting at, until the old man thrust his arm forward. Bookman rolled back his sleeve, revealing a rash very similar to Krowly, though not nearly as bad as Allen's. Lavi felt the dread well up inside of him. "You too, Gramps?!"

"It would appear so," Bookman said, readjusting his shirt.

"Did we catch it from Allen?" Krowly asked, obviously still panicked.

Lavi shook his head. "That can't be. If it was contagious I defiantly would have caught it." Lavi froze as he felt Bookman's eyes practically boring into him in his scrutiny. "I mean, I spent the most time with him, right?" Lavi added quickly.

"Hmph," Bookman scowled for a moment. He sighed and his features smoothed out as much as they were able on his small, shriveled face. "That's why I said it was interesting."

"Well, this should tell us something, right?" Lavi asked. "I mean, we know whatever this is was ingested. So, all we need to do is figure out what you guys ate and I didn't."

"Maybe it was that soup Linalee made," Krowly said, quickly.

"Although it did _taste_ like poison, that couldn't be it," Lavi told him with a grimace. "I ate some of that, too, unfortunately. Besides, Allen was already sick."

"Oh."

They all got silent as they mulled over this new information. Krowly's eyebrows were furrowed, his lips moving soundlessly as he ran over his meals in the last week (which Lavi was sure would take him a while), and Bookman had taken back to flipping through the pages of his books, occasionally stopping to jot a note in the margins. Lavi slid back into a corner and crossed his arms, flipping through his memories like pictures in a book.

There, in his mind, was the train that had taken them from the Order over to the France/Italian border. Lavi had slept through most of the trip, but he was sure that whatever food Allen had brought with him to snack on, he had no intention of sharing.

Lavi closed his eyes as he slowed his mind down. Whatever the cause of this was, it had to have happened after they stepped from the train. Lavi could still recall each detail: the dark, musty smell from the train, to breathing in the pure, fresh outdoors. It smelled heady and clean, and the sky was a deep, clear blue, signifying that they had just missed a heavy rainstorm. Allen and Lavi had both stretched in an over exaggerated fashion.

"Ah, that's better," Lavi had piped happily.

"You're telling me," Krowly had said, morosely. Since they had been unable to secure a first class cabin, Krowly had been forced to sit across from Kanda inside the small booths, which meant it was a very silent, also anxious trip for Krowly.

Lavi and Allen had laughed and they all started to gather their baggage. Allen had his usual single piece of black luggage that swung carelessly at his side as he walked and Linalee had a similar suitcase as well, though Kanda had picked it up silently as he didn't have one of his own. Krowly and Bookman had both been empty handed while Lavi was struggling with his own knapsack as well as a small trunk that housed Bookman's medical journals.

Lavi had grumbled as he dragged the heavy trunk down the road, following after his teammates. Allen and Krowly had begun to sniff at the air. They pointed at various street vendors as they picked off their usual ritual of bragging over how much they were going to eat. Kanda had been frowning as he walked ahead of the group, seeming to lead, though it appeared more as if he had been trying to escape. Bookman was somewhere near the center, ambling along slowly and Linalee had slowed to walk next to Lavi, and like an angel, she had taken his knapsack, offering Lavi a bit of relief.

Lavi remembered all the stores they had passed by, remembered the products they sold. He certainly remembered the beautiful brunette mask vendor that had caught his attention from across the street and lead him to his usual cry of "Strike!". Well, he hadn't been able see her face, but her body was tight and her breasts were large and her hair tumbled behind her in soft curls, so he assumed she was beautiful. All the important parts were there, after all. Lavi recalled the mask she wore; a blue butterfly over her eyes with intricate gold detailing along the edges. But what Lavi remembered most about the ordeal was Allen's reaction. Sure, he had rolled his eyes and sighed along with everybody else, but there had been a definite pout to his lips and Allen had tossed a small, glaring look to the vendor before they left.

But that was neither here nor there, Lavi reminded himself. Focus…focus.

The walk to the hotel had been uneventful for the most part, save the moment where Allen had discovered a stand that was selling porchetta. It was advertising the dish with a partially carved roast pig dripping hot and fatty behind the counter and Allen had made a bee-line for the stand, inadvertently running into Kanda on the way. It took the efforts of the four other exorcists to stop Kanda from demolishing the stand, the town and a smug, antagonizing Allen.

Not much had happened after they had managed to calm the two quarreling boys, and Kanda stormed off toward the Hotel is a huff. Lavi cleared his head as he slowed his thoughts. From here on, Lavi knew that whatever had happened would offer him some clue to save his friends. It had to…

* * *

Sorry for the bad ending, but it'll pick up in the next chapter…Didn't want to rush thing. Meh.

Questions, Comments, Crits and Love are always appreciated. Thanks for the comments and thanks for reading :D


	14. Chapter 14

Mozart's Spirit

(A D.Gray Man fanfiction)

By P.A. Lovas

Pairings: Lavi/Allen, with some Kanda/Linalee.

* * *

14.

The hotel they had stayed at was quite beautiful, Lavi recalled. The ceiling in the lobby had been high and wide, curving elegantly around a long row of chandeliers. Along the frame of the ceiling ran an exquisite border of galloping horses sprouting pure, white wings as they swept through what Lavi could only assume was the Garden of Gethsemane and into the Mountain of Olives. Lavi wasn't really up on his art history, nor was it something that really captured his interest, but it was fairly obvious that the painting had been post-Renaissance, reflecting the works of Botticelli or Giorgione; steeped less in Catholicism and more in the Greek and Roman mythologies.

The glow from the chandeliers had been low and musty, dusting over the paintings and across the tiled floor. Again, Lavi recognized the post-Renaissance impression in the construction, with the tiles spreading out in a circular fashion, rippling out, cold and motionless, as if somebody had dropped a rock into the direct center of the room. The pattern had been disrupted only by small scuffs and an insignificant, yet rather grievous brown stain rusting around the bottom of the left-most pillar. The paint on the white washed walls had been chipping just slightly along the bottom edge, but overall, the hotel was either very well kept, or fairly new.

There had been a few people meandering around the lobby: There was a middle-aged woman, which Lavi recalled as being quite pretty. Her hair had been brushed from her face, dark and sleek, though a few tendrils escaped from her gold clasp. The deep, emerald spencer coat she wore was opened around her breasts, revealing a long, smooth neck dotted with tiny pearls. Her pink dress brushed lightly against the floor as she laughed and wrapped herself around the arm of the gentleman that had been beside her. He was a fairly good looking man, in a plain sort of way; neat, mousey brown hair swept away from a wide forehead and blunt nose. His eyes were dark, perhaps brown or black, and they crinkled slightly at the corners when he smiled.

There had also been a woman fussing over two small children, (a boy and a girl) and neither appeared to be over the age of nine. The woman licked at her frilly, pink handkerchief and wipe furiously at a smudge on the boy's face. He grimaced and tried to push her hands away, but just received a firm smack to his head from his mother. At least, Lavi was fairly certain she was their mother, as the two children had shared the same dark blond hair and bowed lips as the woman who was fussing over them.

Lavi had managed to take all this in within the short walk from the door, through the hall, and over to the counter, where they were greeted in an over exaggerated fashion by a bespectacled man. The man's nametag read "Aberto" and his black hair was slicked back, wet, shiny, and unnatural. His face was kind but the glint in his eye indicated he was more interested in the money he knew they would impart and less about whether or not they had a "good trip".

The conversation with the man was brief as Komui had called ahead to make the reservation for them. Lavi was sure the whole thing had probably resulted in one more bickering fight with Reever, and it quite likely led to yet another rant by the Director. Something about how he _had_ to make sure his darling Linalee wasn't sleeping on the streets or even worse…in the same room with _boys_; not while Komui had a say in the matter.

But Lavi was getting off topic again…

Komui had managed to secure three rooms, one for Linalee and two spares. Linalee had acquired her key and her bag before taking her leave of the group, saying that she wanted to "sit still for a while". Bookman meandered off to call the Order and let them know of their safe arrival in Venice, so that left the remaining four exorcists to duke out the room assignments.

Allen sat down on the lobby's couch, crossing his legs at the ankles and Krowly slowly lowered himself next to him. Kanda had pushed himself against the wall, frowning while Lavi dropped to sit cross-legged on the floor in the middle. Lavi looked around the room, circumspectly, knowing somebody had to start.

"Well," Lavi begun. "There's two rooms and five of us. So, that's three in one room, two in another. "

"Obviously," Kanda scoffed.

"I don't care who I room with," Allen had said agreeably.

"Neither do I," Krowly said, but he was eyeing Kanda with obvious discomfort.

Lavi smiled around the circle. "Alright, well since nobody seems to care, why don't Allen, Kro-chan, Yuu, and Gramps all take the first room?"

Allen raised an eyebrow. "And why exactly should you get your own room?"

Lavi beamed at him. "Because I plan to find a playmate for myself and you guys would totally cramp my style."

Kanda had made an irritated noise, and Krowly looked abashed, but what Lavi found the most amusing was how Allen's eyes darkened and narrowed slightly, a subtle pout forming on his lips. Even in his memories, Lavi wanted to kiss it away. But instead, he had laughed and wagged his eyebrows at Allen.

"What's wrong, bean sprout? Feeling a little left out? I wouldn't mind if you wanted to watch, you know, if that's your kink."

"I-it's Allen! And who would ever want to do such a thing?" Allen yelled, but he stumbled over the words a little, and his face had turned a violent shade of red. "Idiot Lavi," he mumbled and Lavi just laughed.

"Will you just get on with it?" Kanda said, obviously irritated.

Lavi smiled and rubbed at the back of his head. "Yeah, yeah, sure thing." Lavi had figured that an easy solution would be to put three other exorcists together and then Lavi could room with Bookman. Nobody would bat an eye (since it was usually how things seemed to go), and his comrades didn't wanted to pry (in Allen and Krowly's case) or simply didn't care (Kanda). But there was something in the way Allen refused to look at him that had bugged Lavi. He had wanted to pry further. However, he didn't trust himself to be alone with Allen, not yet. And in hindsight, Lavi realized that was probably for the best.

"Why don't me and Allen and Yuu share a room," Lavi said anyway. "Kro-chan can room with Gramps, since for some strange reason, Kro-chan seems to like the old man."

"You're not going to room with Bookman?" Krowly asked, ignoring the fact that Lavi just called him "strange"…or perhaps just simply not conscious of it.

"Hey, even I need a break from time to time, ya know? Besides, I'm sure the old panda won't complain about missing me."

"Who would?" Kanda scoffed and Lavi frowned as Allen giggled.

"Yuu, that's so mean! But I know you love me, so I'll forgive you."

"Idiotic…" Kanda breathed and pushed from the wall. "If we're done here, I'm going to take my leave."

"Where are you going?" Allen asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Away," was Kanda's response as he swept out the door.

"Of course," Allen said with a small smile as he watched Kanda leave.

"Well, I guess we should go get settled." Lavi rose to his feet and brushed off his pants.

"But-" Allen started.

"I thought-" Krowly said in unison.

Lavi laughed silently and brushed their protests away with a wave of his hand. "We'll go eat in a minute. Let's go drop our stuff off first." He picked up Allen's suitcase and dropped it into his lap.

"Ok," Allen said, amiably. He unfolded his body and lifted himself off the couch. Krowly followed suit, though it was a much more impressive act over Allen, seeing as Krowly was all arms and legs and pure stature.

Between the three of them, they were able to easily carry the entirety of their luggage to their rooms in one fell swoop, including the trunk that housed Bookman's journals. Even so, Lavi still threw himself onto the bed nearest the window and let out an exaggerated breath of relief. "Aah, I thought I was done for," Lavi whined.

Allen chuckled and perched on the edge of the other bed.

Lavi suspended his mind to look around this memory. The room was fairly spacious for containing three single beds that were arranged strategically: two against the wall and one perpendicular to the window. The beds were plainly dressed with starchy white sheets, but the bed was clean and the mattress had sagged comfortably along the contours of his body.

The Lavi in his mind wrapped his arms around a pillow and buried his head into it with a sigh. "I want to sleep."

"You always want to sleep."

"Wait a second," Lavi said, propping himself up on an elbow. "Allen, are you really criticizing the redundancy of somebody else's actions, you bottomless pit?"

Allen had flushed angrily. "I wasn't criticizing!"

Lavi laughed. "Sorry, sorry." He let out a small groan as he rose to his feet and dropped to sit beside Allen on the other bed. Allen glared and opened his mouth to say something, most likely to yell at Lavi for his earlier retort, but froze instead as Lavi dropped a hand to his head. "Don't be mad," Lavi tried with a smile, tousling Allen's hair lightly. Lavi was running his fingers through the fine strands, different from the way he usually ruffled it and Allen's expression transformed variously in response: anger dissipated into irritation, followed by confusion, and finally settled on consent.

Lavi had pulled Allen against him lightly, twining the pale hair around his fingers. He felt Allen lean a bit into the touch, though Allen's shoulders were set and he seemed to be clenching every muscle in his body. His eyes were wide and clear and unblinking, containing something Lavi had never seen there before; perhaps a sort of uncertainty or, god-willing, maybe a longing.

They hadn't spoken, opting instead to just watch each other; Allen's gaze was a bit wary and Lavi's searching. They were uncomfortable with the silence and the change in atmosphere, but they were at a loss for words. Or, most aptly as Lavi realized in hindsight, they were _afraid_: Afraid of rejection, of misapprehension, and perhaps even more than that…afraid of acceptance. Realizing these feelings would mean facing truths about themselves that neither wanted to unearth; it would mean sharing something that neither Lavi nor Allen particularly _wanted_ to share. Everything was new, and sure it was a little exhilarating, but more than anything else, it was goddamn frightening.

A knock at the door caused Allen and Lavi to jump apart slightly. Lavi smiled into his memory, realizing how close they had been, almost a breath away from being wrapped up in each other. Allen's hand settled itself next to Lavi's thigh, and the repercussions had been felt keenly for a while after, Lavi recalled. There had been lots of deep breathes and even deeper thoughts.

"Yes?" Allen finally said, his voice shaking slightly.

The door opened just wide enough for Krowly to poke his head in. He blinked at the two of them, and once he was certain that his presence was accepted, he smiled. "Weren't we going to head out to look around?" Where Krowly and Allen were concerned, "looking" meant "eating".

Lavi wasn't sure if it was the promise of food, or just Allen's practiced ability of hiding all negative feelings, but Allen appeared back to normal, smiling sweetly as he nodded. Lavi sighed and, after a moment, he stood. "Well," he said to Allen, smiling in his usual, carefree way. "You coming, or am I going to have to eat your share too?"

Allen rose to his feet quickly. "You wish, Lavi."

"Not really," Lavi tucked his hands behind his head as he brushed past Krowly who was still lumbering in the doorway. "I think if I put away a fraction of what you two could eat, I would die."

"That's because your Innocence is an equipment type," Krowly pointed out.

"Thank goodness I'm not parasitic then," Lavi said, grimacing as he placed a hand over his stomach. "I think I would explode."

Krowly's face fell slightly, his brow furrowing he mulled over the possibility of what Lavi had just said. Allen laughed. Lavi had smiled at the sound, and he remembered feeling much lighter.

Lavi scolded himself mentally. He opened his eyes and the tiny shotgun house they were currently seeking refuge in came quickly into focus. Lavi was upset that he kept getting distracted. Even in his thoughts, in the scrutiny of his memories, he found himself focused solely on Allen; The way he moved, laughed, and smiled or the look in those large eyes and the curve of his mouth. Everything about Allen enamored Lavi completely, then and now. His mind, his memories, his observations were all muddled when Allen was in the room and Lavi swore.

"Hm?" Bookman asked with a noise at the back of his throat.

"I'm going to go check on Allen," Lavi said, pushing away from the corner he had settled into. "If we leave him alone for too long, who knows what he'll do."

Krowly and Bookman just nodded their agreement; after all, they knew Allen just as well. Allen was notorious for making rash decisions where his friends were concerned.

Lavi peered around the corner, assessing the situation. He had situated himself in view of the door and Allen was in no position to be lifting the heavy lumber that had fallen from the attack on the town, so Lavi was fairly certain that Allen hadn't left. Yet, for some reason, Lavi felt a small gnaw of worry in the back of his mind. He sighed in relief when his gaze fell onto Allen, curled in front of the fire where Lavi had left him. The cards had been swept aside messily, either on purpose or perhaps having been kicked in sleep. Either way, Lavi was just happy that Allen was here, he was safe, and he was _sleeping_.

Leaning over, Lavi watched Allen's eyelids flutter in his dreams, and he lowered himself slowly, carefully to the floor. He brushed Allen's hair away from his eyes, hoping that Allen's dreams were peaceful this time, that maybe, Allen wouldn't awaken screaming. His thoughts were answered as Allen's eyes opened, blinking sleepily.

"Whatime izzit?" Allen mumbled.

"I don't know," Lavi answered, smiling lightly at the sleepy, rumpled Allen. "Somewhere around ten, maybe."

Allen didn't respond, just made a small noise as his eyes slipped closed again. Within moments, his breathing slowed, and he was asleep. Lavi watched him quietly, his hand still running through Allen's hair, wondering over all the emotions that just wove through his heart in the last minute: worry and relief and happiness and desire and worry and worry and worry. And love? Perhaps, Lavi thought to himself. He had never wanted to label himself with such a word, deciding instead for smaller, less invasive words, such as "like" or "want" or "need" or "lust". But never "love". That would be new for him. Then again, Allen seemed to be teaching him a lot of things lately.

Lavi shook his head, trying to clear these thoughts from his mind. None of this was important right now. He still had their entire mission, day after day of details, to run through in his head. He had an answer to find, in order save Bookman, and Krowly…to save Allen, and in turn, save himself.

He took a deep breath, and found Allen's presence was more of a comfort than he would have thought. He closed his eyes, and drew the image of the Hotel back into his focus. Lavi formed the hallway they had walked down, heard the conversations they had, and felt the camaraderie.

"Time izzit?" Allen asked again, pulling Lavi from his thoughts.

"Huh?" Lavi blinked down at Allen. "About three minutes after you asked last time," Lavi said, but Allen was already drifting off. Lavi sighed and tried to slip back into his perceptions, turning each one over slowly.

"Whatime izzit?"

Lavi's eyes shot open. "Allen?" Allen didn't even wait for a response before his eyes closed and he fell back to sleep. This time, Lavi just waited, counting the seconds: _Two minutes and thirty four seconds…thirty five seconds…thirty six seconds…thirty seven…thirty-_

"Whatime izzit?"

"Aw hell, Allen." Lavi choked on his panic. "This isn't good, babe," he said, watching as Allen fell back to sleep. In a minute, he would go to Bookman. He would be calm and composed and rational as he explained the situation. But for now, for this moment, Lavi was going to allow himself to break.

* * *

This chapter was a lot harder to write than I had expected. Blarg, tenses. Lavi's head is an interesting place to imagine; full of details and A.D.D. :\

Questions, Comments, Crits and Love are always appreciated. Thanks for the reviews and thanks for reading :D


	15. Chapter 15

Mozart's Spirit

(A D.Gray Man fanfiction)

By P.A. Lovas

Pairings: Lavi/Allen, with some Kanda/Linalee.

* * *

15.

It was dark. Miranda didn't like the dark. She didn't much care for the daylight either, but she really, _really_ didn't like the dark. Bad things lurked in the darkness, and just to add to her grief, it was raining as well. Overall, she was having a bad night. The only relief she had were the life forces within her innocence, pulsating like four beating hearts. Each beat signified the life of her friends, letting her know that they were alright. Well, for the most part. One of them was much weaker than the others; Allen, Miranda figured, and her heart clenched in her chest. But what confused her more than anything was the lower, deeper beating that resounded around the edge of Allen's life. It was nostalgic from when she had extended her innocence into the Ark, and although at the time she hadn't been sure about the sensation, she could feel it quite keenly now.

"Hm," said her companion, causing Miranda to squeak and jump backwards in alarm.

"W-what is it?" Miranda asked, her hand gripping above her heart.

"There's something interfering," Noise Marie said. His voice was deep, his tone dead-pan and his words seemed to echo Miranda's thoughts. "I hear something else, but I can't quite make it out. There's just…static."

"Akuma?"

"It's not the sound of Akuma." Marie shook his head. "There don't appear to be any around Lavi and the others. There's one near Kanda and Linalee, though."

"Should we go to help them?" Miranda asked quickly.

Again, Marie shook his head. "It's a level two. Kanda can handle it."

Miranda wanted to feel relief, but found that she couldn't. Somehow, the knowledge that one Akuma, a relatively low level one at that, was hanging around by itself bugged her more than if Marie had said there were a hundred. It wasn't that she wanted her friends to be in that sort of danger, but somehow, this felt _more_ dangerous. It was so out of character.

"We should hurry," Miranda said, and Marie just nodded. From inside her innocence, she could feel Allen's life force steadily weaken. Whatever was happening to Allen, it was something that even her powers couldn't fix.

* * *

"…Lavi. Lavi! Dammit, Lavi, wake up!"

"Huh?" Lavi said hazily, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He was back in the Order's control room, curled into his bed. It was warm and safe and with Allen sitting on the edge of his bed, Lavi felt that, for the first time in a long while, this could be his real, waking life. "Allen?"

Allen put a hand to his mouth as he laughed lightly. "Honestly, all you ever do is sleep."

"And all you ever do is eat," said Lavi around a yawn. He reached out and yanked Allen down, wrapping his arms around him. "So I think that makes us about even, hmm, bean sprout?" Lavi smiled into Allen's shirt.

"It's Allen!"

"Hey!" Lavi laughed as Allen smacked him on the shoulders. "You should treat me more gently, All-en." Lavi placed his mouth to the small triangle of skin below Allen's neck and Lavi smiled as Allen shivered in his arms. "So, what was it that you woke me up for?"

"Hm? What?" Allen said breathlessly. "Um…"

"You forget already?"

"Well, it's your fault."

"Oh? I'm sorry. I should stop then."

"Lavi?"

"Hm?"

"You're not stopping," Allen said, his hands rising to twine into Lavi's hair.

"Oops. You're right." Lavi's mouth trailed over Allen's collar bone and up his neck. He ran his tongue along the hollow of his ear, before seeking passage between those exquisite lips. Lavi heard Allen sigh in defeat and allowed Lavi to kiss his mouth, parting his lips. Lavi's body responded like a shot when he felt Allen kiss him back, and he pressed up, pulling Allen deeper. Lavi pushed away reluctantly, instead opting to put his mouth against the line of Allen's jaw.

"Lavi…"

"Hm?"

"What time is it?"

"Huh?" Lavi's head shot up and he looked around. He was no longer in his room back at the Order. Instead he was in that crappy little house, and the reality of it all hit him hard. _This_ was real. "Shit," he said, as the last traces of the dream fizzled away. He hadn't remembered falling asleep.

Rubbing the exhaustion from his eyes, he looked down. Allen was curled in his lap, and Lavi wasn't sure what to call what he was doing. It wasn't sleeping, that was for certain. It wasn't nearly so serene or consistent. Allen seemed to be stuck in an odd loop: He would doze for short periods of time, ranging anywhere from two to ten minutes, before pulling open his eyes and fuzzily asking "What time is it?". Lavi would answer whatever came to mind or sometimes, he would just make a small sound of distinction. Not that it made a difference what was said. He could have told Allen that the Earl, General Cross, and George Washington were all having tea in the kitchen and it wouldn't have fazed Allen in the slightest. Allen was asking, but not really hearing.

Allen murmured through the haze of sleep, his eyelids twitching in his dreams. Lavi brushed back the hair that was stuck to Allen's forehead, whispering soothing words into his ear. He hoped that somehow his voice would reach Allen and perhaps offer some sort of comfort.

"...na…" Allen mumbled.

Lavi wanted to pull Allen into his arms and crush the thin frame against his body. But anything more than simply running his fingertips across Allen's sweat slicked skin made Allen's lips curl into a frown and whimper deep in his throat. Lavi remembered what Bookman had said about the finder's illness: _Shakes…sweating…nausea…elevated fever…rash…hallucinations… intermittent loss of consciousness…pain…then death. _Lavi felt a shiver run through him. Allen was in the last stretch of the disease, and the end was bearing down on all of them. They were running low on time.

"Lavi," Bookman's voice called as he ambled in.

Using every ounce of willpower he could muster, Lavi picked up his head and looked at Bookman. He knew he looked as devastated as he felt, yet somehow, he couldn't bear to cover this up. If he did, it felt like he would be betraying Allen and would be demeaning everything that Allen was currently going through.

"What is it, Gramps?"

Bookman just shook his head, apparently deciding that whatever words he intended to say would be better left unsaid. At least for now. Bookman knelt beside them and pulled out his needles. He didn't pierce Allen's skin, doing so would surely cause the boy an incredible amount of pain, possibly throw him into shock. Instead, he just pushed them against the flesh with varying degrees of pressure. Allen would whimper through his dreams and, occasionally, cry out in pain. At those moments, Lavi would clench his jaw, close his eyes, and try not to listen. He would think of something else.

"How are you feeling?" Lavi asked.

"As well as anybody my age feels, I suppose."

Lavi tried to smile, but found that he couldn't. Somehow, Bookman's words seemed to force Lavi to realize a very basic fact that he had long since forgotten: Bookman, though seemingly omniscient, was very much mortal. Truth be told, in this light, Bookman seemed rather small and fragile.

"Gramps, I…"

Bookman picked up his head, watching Lavi with interest. His mouth spread slowly into a smile and he clasped a hand to Lavi's shoulder. "Don't lose hope. Keep searching for the answer. Only when you give up is all lost."

Lavi met Bookman's kohl rimmed eyes as he smiled at Lavi in a way Bookman rarely did. It was these moments that made Lavi see the old man as something akin to "family", though Lavi would never say the words aloud. If he ever tried, he was sure Bookman would revert to curt name-calling and possibly kicking…depending on his mood, of course.

"Alright," Lavi said, thumbing his nose with a smile. "I guess it's up to me to save your wrinkled, old ass."

As he predicted, Bookman's eyes narrowed and Lavi could have uttered "brat" in unison with him. Bookman stood slowly, holding his back in the process. "Let me know if he gets any worse."

"Hey Gramps," Lavi said, looking down at Allen. "Shouldn't we, you know, hurry back to the Order? I mean, this looks rather serious. And now with you and Kro-chan…"

Bookman shook his head. "It'd be unwise to move him at the present time."

"Why?"

Watching Lavi closely, Bookman sighed after a moment. "Honestly," he muttered, bending over Allen. "Having him walk on his own is most certainly out of the question. As for trying to carry him…" Bookman reached out and grabbed onto Allen's arm, and gently curled his fingers around the bend of his elbow. Nothing could have prepared Lavi for the scream that ripped itself from Allen's mouth.

"Stop. STOP IT!" Lavi shouted, putting his hands to his ears. "Alright I get it! God, you could have just TOLD me, stupid panda." Lavi pulled his hands from his ears once Allen's whimpering had lessened to something akin to a pained hiccup.

"Lavi," Bookman said seriously. Lavi always hated that tone. It meant Bookman was disappointed in him. "After all this is over, we will need to have a serious discussion."

Lavi had thought he prepared himself for those words, yet, it felt as if an ice cold hand gripped at his heart. "Yeah, I know," Lavi said, turning his gaze away from Bookman. "You really think this is all going to turn out OK, don't you?"

Bookman sighed. "You don't." It wasn't a question, just a simple observation.

Lavi just raised a shoulder in a small, halfhearted shrug as he watched Allen fall back to sleep. "I dunno. It's hard."

"Remember what I told you. Always seek-"

"Always seek the truth. Never shy away from the answer," Lavi quoted, brushing it aside with a wave of his hand. "I know the saying, Gramps. I know all the semantics. But I also know the statistics, and this ending 'happily-ever-after' is down at low to zero on the probability scale."

"That's because you're looking for that one solution that would satisfy you completely," Bookman said with a frown. "You should know better than that by now, Lavi. Finding the answer, solving the puzzle is all you can do. And that was supposed to be enough."

"And if it's not?" Lavi asked in a voice smaller than Bookman ever remembered hearing it before.

"Like I said, we'll discuss that when everything is all over and done with." Lavi nodded and Bookman gave him the smallest ghost of a smile. "And who knows, if you're able to figure this out, maybe things won't turn out so badly after all."

"Huh?" Lavi picked up his head and furrowed his eyebrows. Was he being teased? "What the hell does that mean, old man?"

"It means shut up and get to work."

Lavi grimaced as Bookman knuckled the back of his head. "Ow! Alright already! Crazy old panda." That last part was added once Bookman was out of swinging range. But Lavi knew Bookman was right. If Lavi gave up now and let himself wallow in self-pity as he wanted, there would certainly be no happy ending. Not for Bookman, or Allen or Krowly…and in turn for Lavi.

"Sorry, Gramps," Lavi said to the spot where Bookman had been standing just moments before. Lavi looked down at Allen, watched the twitch of his eyelashes, the rise and fall of his chest. Allen was still alive, so why had Lavi been thinking of him as already dead? "I'm sorry," Lavi whispered as he leaned over Allen's body. He played lightly with the hair at the nape of Allen's neck, running his thumb over Allen's lips. "I'll find an answer, soon. Just hang in there, alright?"

"Lavi?"

Lavi jumped as his name fell from Allen's lips. "Allen?! Yeah, it's me. Are you ok?"

"What time is it?"

Lavi pursed his lips together. "It's time for you to go back to sleep," Lavi said, running his hands over Allen's shoulders.

"Oh. OK."

Lavi sighed as Allen drifted off again. For a moment, he had hoped that maybe Allen was coming to. He had slipped in and out of the illness before and Lavi kept clinging to the hope that Allen could pull through this again. Lavi realized his hope in this matter was connected to looking into Allen's eyes and speaking with him. As soon as he lost that ability, he had lost his hope.

"Kro-chan!" Lavi called.

"Hm?" Krowly poked his head in.

"Can you sit with Allen for a while?"

Krowly seemed to consider this for a moment. It was obvious that he was still quite shaken with his current predicament, not that Lavi could blame him. After a moment, Krowly nodded.

"Help me out here?" Lavi motioned to Allen.

"Of course."

"Gently now." Lavi winced at the small whimper that came from Allen as they slid him out from Lavi's lap. "I'm sorry," Lavi said, removing his coat and slipping it under Allen's head. He smoothed back wisps of hair from Allen's eyes. "Hang in there, Allen."

"Where are you going? Bathroom?"

Lavi shook his head. "Nah, I just need some time to think. And there're too many distractions."

"Distractions?" Krowly blinked at him, befuddled.

"You'll see," Lavi said. He gave one last look to Allen before he slipped out the door and into the night. It was still raining fairly hard, and Lavi pushed himself against the side of the house in order to keep from being soaked. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, preparing to steel his focus. But for a brief flashing moment, Lavi allowed himself to turn his thoughts toward the God they were fighting so hard for. "Please," Lavi said aloud, taking a step forward. He turned his face up into the rain, letting it wash over his face, sliding down his cheeks. "I'm sure I'm not your favorite disciple and all, but you seem to like Allen allright. So please, just this once, lend me a hand, kay?"

There wasn't an answer, not in the typical fashion. But Lavi mused that perhaps the rain seemed a little warmer…

* * *

Oh wow, so sorry for the long wait between chapters. In apology, I have 2 new Lavi/Allen stories coming up along side of this one; the first featuring some Kanda/Allen (to be explained later) and the second featuring who is probably my favorite secondary character, Link. (Am I the only one who fangirls _ridiculously_ for Link?) Which one would you guys rather see first?

Back on track…The story is about to start revealing the secrets hidden within. Has anybody figured them out yet?

Questions, Comments, Crits and Love are always appreciated. Thanks for the comments and thanks for reading :D


	16. Chapter 16

Mozart's Spirit

(A D.Gray-Man fanfiction)

By P.A. Lovas

Pairings: Lavi/Allen, with some Kanda/Linalee.

* * *

Warning: Long, pompous author's note at the end. Feel free to skip it.

* * *

16.

That day they arrived in Venice had been chilly, Lavi recalled. The breeze that swept over the waters running along the edge of the town had been cool and made Lavi pull his coat more tightly around himself. The wind nipped at their faces, flushing Allen's cheeks pink from the chill, and Allen cupped his gloved hands toward his mouth as he spoke. It muffled his words and obscured his smile. With his small stature and large eyes, the overall effect was that of a schoolboy and Lavi had to smile along with Allen's delight.

"Where to first?" Krowly asked quite seriously, making Lavi laugh aloud.

"Don't you mean 'what to _eat_ first'?"

Allen and Krowly turned to him, blinking vacantly. Their expressions seemed to say "_And the difference is…?_" Lavi sighed, and tucked his hands behind his head, dropping a few steps behind them. Apparently, according to them, he wasn't included in this, but that suited him just fine. He was more of a watcher, anyway.

The town was bright and lively, and given the number of people wearing masks and drinking quite openly, Lavi figured they were catching the tail-end of what was left of some sort celebration. Lavi had heard that _Carnevale_ had been dissolved along with the Venetian Republic, but he supposed some people stubbornly clung to such traditions.

Stopping in front of a small stage play (a _commedia dell'arte_, he believed they were called), Lavi stared quite shamelessly at the lead actress. She was lithe and blond and pretty, and her brassiere was tied rather tight, pushing her substantial bosom up to swell out of the top of her dress. Lavi couldn't help himself, and ended up shouting "STRIKE!" quite loudly at her, causing the players to pause momentarily in bewilderment.

"Honestly," Allen said coming along side of him. His foot was tapping in a rather irritated fashion as he heaved a sigh of one long suffering. Krowly just shook his head and shrugged, but his gaze also kept darting back toward the actress.

Lavi smiled. "Let's watch the rest of the show."

"Eh?" Allen and Krowly both recoiled.

"You just want to meet her," Krowly said, matter-of-factly.

"Obviously," said Lavi, thumbing his nose with a grin. "You don't?" Krowly shrugged and flushed.

"Not especially," Allen said with a frowned as he watched the actress move across the stage. "I don't see why you keep doing this to yourself. She's just going to ignore you. Just like all the others."

"That hurts, Allen! They don't ALL ignore me."

"Most of them do."

"You stay out of this, Kro-chan." Lavi crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Besides, even if you're right and MOST of them turn me down, it still means there are a few that don't."

Krowly's brows furrowed as he considered this. "That's true. You have a better chance of hitting your mark if you throw a handful of rocks instead of just one, I suppose."

"See? My tactics are sound, Allen!"

Lavi watched carefully as Allen's shoulder's stiffened as he turned his back to them. Lavi wanted to see his face, see what sort of expression Allen was wearing. He took a step forward, but froze at the sound of Allen's voice that was uncharacteristically sad and quite cold.

"So that's your plan? Just hit on everybody around you and hope that one of them caves?"

"Allen?" Lavi turned to look at Krowly who just shrugged his shoulders and turned his attention back to the play. It sometimes appeared as if Krowly grew sick of the reoccurring drama, being an adult surrounded constantly by teenagers. Lavi took the opportunity to place a hand on Allen's shoulder and he frowned as it was brushed away. "Allen, why are you so upset?"

"I'm not upset," Allen shot back, and then froze, as if catching himself in something. "I'm sorry. I'm just really hungry. Can we please go eat?"

Lavi nodded. "Sure. That's my fault."

Allen shook his head. "We can come back and watch you get shot down later," said Allen, and Lavi could hear the force in his laughter; it was too high, too clear, and completely unnatural. He knew this was upsetting Allen, knew it had _been _upsetting him, and Lavi could make a guess as to why. But Lavi refused himself the hope, and besides, it was better for him if Allen thought he wasn't serious, right?

"That's cold, Allen! Just you watch. I'll get this one."

"I bet you can't even get her name."

"I'll accept that challenge and raise you her phone number."

They talked and joked as they walked through the cray paper lined streets, enjoying the clear sky and easy camaraderie. Allen and Krowly would stop at nearly every food stand, tripping over each other, themselves, and sometimes, poor, unsuspecting customers. They would throw their bodies across the counter, all the while shouting out food to order. Any irritation the vendors had was quickly diminished by the sheer amount of food that was being requested and the money being tossed in their direction.

Allen walked happily from one stand to the next, a bag filled with whatever food he was currently consuming tucked safely in his arms. There were no traces of his earlier distress to be found in his smile, and it left a warm merriment in Lavi as well. Apparently, as difficult as it was to figure Allen out sometimes, there were some things that would never change.

* * *

Lavi groaned as he rubbed at his stomach. He had gotten rather caught up in Allen and Krowly's exuberance and he had sampled more than he should have. Even as a healthy, active teenage boy, the four sandwiches, six pastries, and two gelatos were weighing quite heavily in his stomach.

Lavi sighed as he watched Allen tuck another roasted chestnut into his mouth. Allen chewed contently as Krowly, enamored by the costumes and general exuberance of the street fair, would gawk outright, shouting and pointing enthusiastically at the people who passed by.

"What sort of mask was that?" Krowly asked, for what had to be the twentieth time.

"I don't know," Lavi whimpered, placing a hand over his stomach. "I didn't see."

"Are you alright?" asked Allen, slowing to walk beside Lavi. He leaned forward, peering at him quizzically and Lavi had to smile at Allen's overt concern.

"I'm fine. I just ate too much." Allen blinked at him, obviously contemplating the meaning of eating "too much". Lavi dropped a hand to the top of Allen's head and tousled his hair lightly. "Don't worry about it. I'll be fine."

Allen stiffened at the touch, allowing it for just a moment before he raised his hand, brushing Lavi away. "Oh…um…yeah, by the way, we never got to go back and see that play."

Lavi laughed. "It's OK. I didn't really much care about it, anyway."

Allen furrowed his eyebrows. "Well, you didn't get to meet your actress. So, I'm…uh, sorry."

Lavi had wanted to ask him if he was _actually_ sorry. He wanted to ask if Allen had reacted so violently before because he was jealous. Lavi contemplated pulling Allen into his arms and running his lips across his brow to smooth over whatever anger, tension, or negative emotion that was crinkling it. But Lavi's chest had tightened at the look in Allen's eyes, one of those rare looks that he couldn't read, and Lavi hadn't been able to find the courage to do either of those things.

So, instead, Lavi just waved off Allen's apology with his hand. "Nah, it's fine. We should start heading back anyway." _Pathetic_, Lavi thought to himself. _I'm totally pathetic._

Allen looked up at the sky. "You're right. It's starting to get dark."

"You're just now noticing this?"

"Yeah, and?"

Shaking his head, Lavi laughed, genuinely amused by Allen's inattention. "You sure are short sighted when there's food involved." As he said this, Lavi reached toward the bag of chestnuts enveloped in Allen's arms. He was rewarded with a very quick, hard smack to his hand. "Allen!"

"What?" Allen said, eyes narrowing. "Get your own."

"You know, you're not just a poker demon. You're a food demon, too, Beansprout."

"It's Allen!" Allen shot at him, hugging the bag more protectively to his chest. "And you're a lecher."

"So?" Lavi wagged his eyebrows at Allen, and flashed him a lopsided grin.

"Besides, I thought you were just complaining about being full," Allen commented.

"I am. I was just trying to make a point."

"And what point would that be?"

Lavi folded his hands behind his head. "That you care more about food than me."

Allen stopped walking and stared after Lavi, mouth tightening into a thin line. "That's not true!"

"It is! You just hit me!"

"Because you were…I mean…You-" Allen put a hand to his forehead and sighed. "Will it make you feel better if I gave you some?"

"Yes." Lavi punctuated his sentence with a nod. He cocked his head to the side and smiled at Allen, holding a hand out.

Allen blinked at the extended hand, once. "That's a shame, then," he said, turning on his heels and stalked off.

"Allen! Hey, come back here!" Lavi had followed after him, and the two fought playfully all the way back to the hotel. In fact, Lavi had been so distracted by Allen, the look in his eyes, the turn of his mouth, the occasional victories where Lavi had succeeded in making him smile, that he had almost walked past the hotel. Even in his memories, the rest of the world seemed hazy and uninteresting. There were no details; no crowds, no locale, no ground noise. There was only Allen.

They made their way back into the lobby, lowering their bickering to small, teasing whispers.

"Linalee?" Lavi called out as he noticed the girl out of the corner of his eye. Linalee was sitting on the couch with her legs crossed uncomfortably across her lap and her hands were being held out to her sides. Linalee opened large, violet eyes, and smiled at them.

"Oh, hey you guys!"

"What are you doing?" Lavi asked, walking up to her.

"I'm trying to meditate," Linalee responded, unfolding her body gracefully. "Kanda always tells me it's a good way to clear your mind of your troubles."

"Since when do we listen to Kanda?" Allen asked, and was received a hard stare from Linalee. "Sorry," he mumbled. "What's got you so worried that you need to meditate?"

"And more importantly," Lavi said, kicking at her suitcase that was settled by her feet. "Where are you going?"

Linalee heaved a deep sigh. "I'm not going anywhere. I just…I refuse to step foot in THAT room!"

Lavi, Allen, and Krowly all exchanged looks with each other, shrugging in general confusion. "What's wrong with your room?" Allen was the first to ask.

"Ugh. It's my brother. He booked me the honeymoon suite."

Lavi burst out laughing. "Seriously?"

"It's not funny!" Linalee shouted, glaring at Lavi. She turned hopefully to Allen and Krowly, expecting sincerity or, at least, sympathy. She frowned as Allen placed a hand over his mouth to hide his smile, and Krowly coughed in an attempt to cover his laughter. "I'm serious! You should see it. It's hideous! There's even a heart shaped bed and- LAVI, STOP LAUGHING!"

At this point, Lavi was laughing so hard, he was doubled over the couch, fist slamming repeatedly into the cushions are he tried in vain to regain some semblance of composure. His laughter quickly evaporated as Linalee's suitcase was firmly and painfully slammed against the top of his head.

"So, what's so terrible about that?" Allen asked, throwing Lavi a sympathetic look. After all, Allen had been on the agonizing end of Linalee's fists more often than he could count.

"You mean what ISN'T terrible." Linalee grimaced. "I also found this taped to the door," she said, pulling a piece of paper from her pocket.

Allen took the paper and unfolded it carefully. Lavi and Krowly gathered closer to read over his shoulder:

_My darling Linalee-chan,_

_How are you doing? I hope your trip was pleasant and safe, and filled with thoughts of your ADORING older brother. I booked this room specially, with you in mind. This is YOUR room and nobody else's. I expect you remember what I told you about boys: They're filthy, horrible, disgusting creatures and you should k--_

"What happened here?" Lavi asked. There was a rather grievous line stretching from the "k" all the way to the end of the page. In fact, it rather looked like the pen had been pulled clean off the paper. All at once, Lavi could swear he heard voices coming from the line.

"_Director! Get back to work!"_

"_But Linalee-chan-"_

"_You don't need to write her a letter. You NEED to be doing your reports!"_

"_BUT BUT BUT BUT-"_

Lavi caught the eyes of his teammates. "Reever," they all chimed at once.

"Wait, there's more," Allen said, pointing to the bottom of the page. Lavi squinted at the small, rushed writing and the crinkled edges of the paper, as if it had clawed at.

_I MISS YOU!_

_Love and Kisses XOXOXOXOXOXO._

Included at the end was a fairly bad scribble of Komui's head, smiling and forming his fingers into a "V".

"Wow," Lavi said, letting out a low whistle. Allen and Krowly could only nod their heads in agreement. "That's pretty bad. And…wait a second. Is this written on the back of a report?!"

"You said this was taped to the door, right? How did Komui-san get it here?" Allen asked, and they all grew silent with contemplation.

"You know something," Lavi finally said. "I don't think I really want to know…."

"I don't know what I'm going to do about him. My brother's getting out of hand," Linalee said, grimly.

"Well," Lavi said, placing a hand to his chin in thought. "You could always get married and see if that calms him down. Either that, or perhaps the shock of it might kill him."

"That's terrible! And besides, that wouldn't work at all. He'd just follow me, wallowing and crying the whole time. Not to mention, he'd just chase away anybody I brought home."

Lavi grinned at her knowingly. "Not necessarily. I'm sure there's _somebody_ we know who could stand up to him."

Linalee flushed and turned her face away. "I have no idea what you're talking about." She quickly rose to her feet, successfully ending Lavi's teasing and the conversation. "I'm actually getting a little hungry. Are we going out for dinner?"

"Yes!" chimed Allen and Krowly.

"No!" groaned Lavi, unhappily.

Despite Lavi's protests, they managed to tear Bookman from his room and made their way toward a small café they had passed earlier. Kanda had been nowhere to be found, though Allen seemed less than upset over the fact, stating that Kanda's face would sour the food. He received a quick knuckle to the side of his head for that particular remark, and managed to pout until his massive order was placed before him by a quick, efficient, but rather apathetic waiter.

Allen and Krowly eyed the spread and began betting on who could eat more. Krowly hadn't made it 3 bites into his pizza before the infamous pepper incident happened. Allen laughed and stuffed his face as quickly as he could, aiming towards victory as Krowly howled, clamoring for water or something to calm the inferno taking place on his tongue. Unfortunately for Krowly, there was only the tea that Bookman and Linalee were currently sipping on, and he only succeeded in scouring his mouth further. Krowly ran around the table twice and fled toward the streets where a large, slobbering brown mutt was barking after a sleek, black cat. The cat mewled and twined itself around Krowly's legs, sending him sprawling loudly and ungracefully into the frigid canal.

The incident had succeeded in ending their meal as Lavi fished Krowly out of the water and they took the shivering man back to the hotel.

Something about the whole thing was bothering Lavi, but he couldn't put his finger on exactly what it was. He opened his eyes, rubbing at his temple as reality slowly returned. What could it have been? Lavi mulled over the incident a second time, but his thoughts were interrupted by a glowing shadow in the distance. Lavi stiffened, his hand inching toward Ouzuchi Kouzuchi that was safely holstered to his leg. He wrapped his fingers around the head of the hammer, squinting. There was defiantly somebody there. In fact, there were _two_ somebodies; a large, husky shadow and a smaller, slimmer one.

"Lavi?" one of the shadows called out. "Oh it IS you! Thank goodness we found you!"

"This voice," Lavi said, his eyes widening as one of the shadows ran forward and into the light. "Miranda?!"

Lavi watched as Miranda placed her hands on her legs as she gasped for breath, and he noticed the large body of Noise Marie melt from the shadow as he stepped into the light. A multitude of questions ran through his head, but as his gaze fell on Miranda again, he whispered a silent thanks for his answered prayer.

* * *

**AN:** As the warning at the beginning implied, this Author's Note is going to be rather long and pompous. So here goes…

First of all, I want to apologize for the increasing length of time in between chapters. I could offer a million different excuses, but in actuality, I got distracted. I kicked a rather serious case of art block recently, and have been drawing like a fiend. But I think I'm sated now, and I really do want to start wrapping this story up. I can only assume at this point, but I'm pretty sure we're going to hit somewhere in the early to mid twenties as far as chapters go. So I hope you'll continue this journey with me :\

Second, I wish to thank each and every one of you who have reviewed and supported me. There are too many people to name everybody (though I do love you ALL), but I do want to take the time to send my regards to a few who have touched my deeply thus far…

.

**Drew:** who gets first mention because he has exhibited the patience of a saint as I ambled on and on about this story (and a few others) and has contributed quite a few ideas as well. Also, he's probably the only person I know who was reading this story for the Kanda/Linalee pairing. Heh. And though he stopped reading after chapter 9 (apparently due to it now containing too much boy-sex) he's still receiving my thanks, recorded for all time…or until the story gets removed or deleted. Ha!

**MaNgA-bOy-LoVeR:** You get my eternal thanks for ALSO putting up with my ramblings, which I appologize, also happens WHILE we watch the show, as I lay heavily on the pause button. Out of everybody, you probably fangirl for my stories more than anybody I know, which is a great honor for me that somebody as smart, well read, and amazing as you can enjoy my writing. I look forward to seeing what stories you come up with for this series, and bitch, when are we hanging out again?!

**Exorcist Artemis: **You've been with me since almost the beginning and you always have the most heartwarming things to say. You even found me on DA just to compliment me. You have no idea how much that made my day. And you're a RENT fan, too, which is always cool with me :D I hope we get to talk again real soon. Thank you.

**splintered:** Not only were you my very first reviewer ever, but your reviews were always meaningful and made me feel like I was succeeding with this story and doing the characters some sort of justice. So thank you for taking the time to post something more than the average "UPDATE PLZ", because each of your reviews made me so very happy.

**Dhampir72:** God, you've been with me since the very first chapter and here we are at Chapter 16. Not only that, but you always take the time to leave a review that makes me smile and is meaningful. Thank you for sticking with me, and I hope to see you at the end of this thing!

**Petite Samedi: **Wow, your reviews are so well thought out and written it makes me want to go back and edit my story to sound half as intelligent. Also, you also always seem to sooth the anxieties I have as I fret over each chapter posted, worrying over being too sappy or cliché or OCC. It's in great part to you that I continued on with this story during the later chapters instead of scrapping it due to general, all encompassing anxiety. So, thank you very much.

**Firey-Moonlight: **Not only did you make me laugh with your first review (it had such a "Stay Tuned" announcer feel that was so refreshing and fun) but you were also the only one to answer my question from the last chapter. That earns you a special place on my list and my thanks. (And fyi…now you DO know somebody who fangirls for Link. Like, a lot. I swear, it's an illness…)

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**Special heartfelt thanks go out to the people who have taken the time to review continuously throughout the story! **You guys have no idea what your reviews mean to me.

KHtrinity

Kiracookies

Laikaru

Cookie Panda

sweetpotato1992

YugiKitten

Lupus Animi

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**Thank you** to everybody else who has reviewed and commented! Every single review has meant a great deal to me, and I wish I could take the time to write each of you personally. In fact, if somebody could tell me how to respond to a review that would be awesome. The only thing I can find is a button that says "abuse" and I don't really want to abuse anybody, unless of course that's your kink. Then by all means, let me know -wink-.

Also, Thank you to everybody who's read this story thus far and everyone who has supported me in secret. You are also loved!

.

Phew. I apologize to anyone who may have been forgotten. It's about 4am here, and I'm writing this while jittery on the three cups of coffee that I needed to finish this chapter. -sweatdrop- There'll be another one of these huge ordeals to come later, so if you have any questions or comments for me, feel free to drop me a line. I'll do my best to answer.

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I'll see you guys soon in the next chapter! (God, I'm long winded. Sheesh).

**EDIT: **I learned how to reply, as those of you who reviewed may have noticed. Apparently, I'm an idiot and I never check my email. Oops.


	17. Chapter 17

Mozart's Spirit

(A D.Gray Man fanfiction)

By P.A. Lovas

Pairings: Lavi/Allen, with some Kanda/Linalee.

* * *

17.

Lavi had so many questions for the pair: How did you find us? Were you the "thing" the Order was sending us? Did you see Linalee and Yuu? Are they alright?

"Everybody's inside," Lavi opted to say instead, nodding his head to the crumbling building behind him.

Miranda and Marie looked at each other once, nodded, and pushed themselves into the house.

"Look who's here!" Lavi said, his voice containing more of his smile than it had displayed in a long time. Since Allen got sick, at the very least.

Krowly's eyes widened as they fell onto Miranda. "Well, this will certainly make matters easier."

"What's all the racket about?" Bookman asked, ambling from the kitchen.

"It's good to see you, esteemed elder," Marie offered, bowing his head. "I hope you are well."

Bookman's dry, papery lips pulled into a smile. "As well as one can be, I suppose. Have the Science Division come up with anything yet?"

Marie shook his head. "When we left they were still working. But they seemed hopeful."

"How hopeful?" Lavi asked, raising an eyebrow. "Like, 'it's going to be done SOON', hopeful or 'it's going to be done EVENTUALLY', hopeful?" Marie just shrugged, not sure what to make of the question and Lavi frowned.

"Ah, Miss Miranda Lotto," Bookman said, nodding his head in her direction. "I was wondering when you were going to appear before us."

"You mean you KNEW she was coming?" asked Lavi.

"I wouldn't say I KNEW. I figured it was safe to assume that the Order would offer us the option for more time."

"Stupid panda, keeping everything to yourself…."

Miranda winced as Lavi was slammed across the room. The house shook dangerously as Lavi collided with the wall, dust pluming from the floor and dispersing into the air as the house settled back with a groan. "Where's Allen-kun?"

"Here," Krowly said, sliding backwards to reveal Allen lying on his side, shivering despite being swathed in heavy blankets.

"Oh no," Miranda said, rushing over to Allen's side. She placed a hand to his brow in a motherly fashion, before hanging her head. "I'm so useless."

"How can you say that?" Lavi asked, rubbing at the spot on back of his head where he had smacked against the wall. "You're the greatest thing that's happened to us so far this trip. Well…." Lavi looked to the side and rubbed at his nose. "Almost. Besides, the way Allen is now, we can't move him. At least now we can get the hell out of this place and back to the Order."

Miranda just shook her head, pulling her hair in front of her eyes. "No, you don't understand. I can't do ANYTHING for him."

"What do you mean?"

"Lavi," Bookman said firmly, nodding in Miranda's direction. "Look closely."

"What am I supposed to be looking-" The words froze in Lavi's throat, his visible eye widening. "Your innocence," he said, noticing the spinning record on Miranda's wrist. "It's already invoked."

Miranda nodded her head, gravely. "I thought this might be the case. His life just kept slip further and further. I thought it was because I was too far away. It turns out, I'm just useless."

Marie slid up behind Miranda, placing a hand on her shoulder. "This isn't your fault. There's something interfering."

"Interfering?" Bookman asked, his attention turning toward Marie. "How so?"

Marie shrugged his wide shoulders. "I'm not sure. There's static all around Allen. It made it hard to find everybody."

"Everybody?" Lavi asked, his head snapping up. "Do you mean Yuu and Linalee? Are they alright?"

"They're fine," said Marie. "There's just one level two in their area."

Krowly waved a hand. "That's nothing that guy can't handle."

"My thoughts exactly," Lavi said, his arms crossing in front of his chest. "But only one? Why?"

The attention in the room shifted to Allen as he murmered deep in his throat and pulled open his eyes. He looked straight at Miranda who squeaked, a hand flying to her mouth in shock. "Allen-kun! You're awake."

Lavi, Krowly and Bookman all shook their heads. If they wanted to, they could have chorused "What time is it?" along with Allen, but instead they just exchanged looks; knowing, sympathetic, and terrified.

"This is my fault," Miranda said softly, after the situation was explained. "Whatever's blocking my innocence must be causing this. It's just the first time I met him, when everything was stuck in a loop."

"So, if you un-invoke, this pattern will stop?" Lavi asked.

"It's possible."

"Well, what are you waiting for, woman," Krowly said, waving a hand.

"Keep your Time Record activated," Bookman instructed, seriously. "Obviously something is getting through to him to keep him in this repetition. We don't know what severing that connection could mean at this moment."

"Miranda's innocence is the only thing keeping him alive right now, right? That's what you're saying, isn't it, Gramps?"

Bookman nodded. "It's a distinct possibility."

"So, basically, we can't FIX him. We can't MOVE him. We can't HELP him at all?!" Lavi's fist slammed into the wall, echoing loudly through the awkward silence that followed. "Damn it!"

"Music…."

"Huh?" Lavi looked up, blinking at Marie. "Music?"

"I hear music." Marie raised both of his large hands to cup the innocence over his ears, face blank in his deliberation.

"Where's it coming from?" asked Krowly, looking around the room. His head was cocked to the side and his long, pointed ears twitched in an attempt to hear the ghost-song.

"It appears to be coming from Allen's mind," Marie said, brows drawn together in concentration. "Requiem Mass in D minor."

"Mozart?" Lavi asked. "Well, that's a boring dream." Lavi's gaze slid to the side, falling on Allen's shivering form. Suddenly, like a jolt, something snapped into place inside his brain. "Wait wait wait! Wait a second!" He ran from the room, ignoring the odd looks and questions as he began shuffling through the books stacked in the kitchen. "Where is it? Where? It should be here somewhere," Lavi mumbled to himself, swearing as he recklessly tossed aside the tomes, dubbing them as "worthless".

"What are you doing, Idiot?" Bookman asked, eyes narrowing slightly as he watched his apprentice mangle his workspace.

"I'm looking for that- AH! Here it is!" Lavi grinned and held up a black leather bound book, the words "Eighteenth Century Infections and Diseases" scrawled across it in neat, white lettering. Lavi slammed the book against the table and furiously began shifting through the pages. "Found it!"

"Found what?" Krowly asked, and Lavi looked up to see he had an audience consisting of all the occupants in the house, of course, sans the ailing Allen.

"This," Lavi said simply, and began reading the passage aloud. "Perhaps the most well known, albeit controversial, case of "hitziges Frieselfieber" had stricken the famous composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1791."

"What's hiz- higiz friezlberg?" Krowly tried, stumbling over the word.

"Severe miliary fever," Bookman said, cupping his chin in thought. "It's the rash that you, Allen, and I all share. Yes…that would make sense."

"Right?!" Lavi said, excitement creeping into his voice. "This can't just be a coincidence. I mean, first, the rash and now Requiem. It has to mean something!"

"Hm, that's a distinct possibility," Bookman mumbled, reaching out and pulling the book from Lavi's outstretched hands. He thumbed through the pages, shifting back to the passage Lavi had read. "Fever, rash, swelling, nausia…It's all there."

"So it's the same thing?" Miranda asked.

Bookman pursed his lips in thought. "Perhaps, though not necessarily. It could be the same thing, or it could just be a copy-cat. The true cause of Mozart's death is still considered unknown. In fact, there have been rumors that, in actuality, it may have been murder through poisoning."

"You did say Allen ate whatever this was, right? Then wouldn't poison make sense?" asked Lavi.

"Who would try to poison Allen-kun?" Miranda asked, generally surprised. She couldn't think of anybody who didn't like the fundamentally, sweet-natured boy.

"General Cross?" Lavi asked, raising an eyebrow. "I've seen the two of them together and I've heard the stories. I wouldn't put it past him, especially if he's got Allen on some sort of life insurance."

Bookman shook his head. "I doubt it."

"You doubt it?" Lavi furrowed his brow. "Have you heard what he did to that kid?"

"But what would the General have been doing in Venice?"

"Do you guys really think the General would do something like that?" Miranda asked, skeptically. She was met by a resounding "yes" from each of her teammates. She hung her head sadly. What a world she lived in.

"Let's look at all the pieces," Bookman said, pushing his books aside to clear a small, square area on the table. He took out a clean piece of parchment paper and a pressed his pen to the unmarred surface, writing as he spoke. "First, we arrived in Venice. From there, something was ingested by, not just Allen, but myself and Arystar was well, though not Lavi." As he said this, Bookman circled his words, drawing a line between them. "Around that time, the Finder that returned to the Order began exhibiting signs of the illness and died ten days later. During that time, Allen developed a full blown case of the illness, his symptoms altering from better to worse in varying degrees." More words were circled, more lines were drawn. "Marie, did the Finder exhibit this same pattern?"

"No," Marie said simply. "As far as I was told, it was a direct progression."

Lavi peered over Bookman's shoulder, the old man's diminutive height making the act an easy one. "So, why did Allen get worse so much quicker? And why was he getting better?"

"Maybe he wasn't getting better. Maybe he was getting worse."

"What do you mean, Gramps?"

Bookman's brow drew together. "Perhaps there's a connection. When Allen was at his worst, back at the hotel, what was he doing?"

"Well, he caught the fever, then Linalee and I went to go get the medicine. I'm not sure what Allen was doing during that time, but he looked like he was falling asleep as we left."

"Go on," Bookman urged, scratching more words onto the paper.

"Well, he got better after the medicine and your treatment," Lavi said, staring at a corner of the table, his green eye dull and unfocused, as if the scene was playing itself out in the knotted wood. "He ate a little, and then fell asleep. After that, he started hallucinating and the rash appeared."

"Mm hm."

"Well," Lavi continued. "He seemed alright after that. Then I drugged him. When he woke up, he seemed to have some trouble walking and…."

"And?"

"Gramps, tell me you're not seeing the pattern."

Bookman nodded, scribbling a bit at the paper before turning his eyes to Lavi. "Obviously. It seems every time Allen Walker's illness was progressing unnaturally, it was after he awakened."

"What about the nightmares?" Krowly asked. Lavi blinked owlishly at Krowly, having forgotten the man was even there.

"There's also the interference in Miranda and Marie's innocence," Bookman added.

"So, we're looking for something that affects both sleep and innocence?" Krowly surmised with a question.

"It would seem so. Miranda," Bookman called, turning his attention to the meek, frightened woman.

"Y-yes?"

"Has this ever happened before?"

Miranda shook her head furiously. "I've never had my innocence have absolutely no effect on the target. But," she said and closed her eyes, bringing her innocence to her chest. "This feeling, I remember it a little. From back when you were all lost in the Ark."

"The Ark?" Lavi asked, brow crinkling. "What could be here and in Allen's sleep that was in the-"

"Lavi?" Krowly asked as he watched all the color drain from Lavi's face.

"Crap!" Lavi grabbed for Ouzuchi Kouzuchi and ran into the adjoining room. "Allen!" Lavi skid to a stop and felt his blood run cold. Allen wasn't alone.

"You!" Lavi hissed, swinging the hammer at the intruder who stepped gracefully to the side, one hand holding the brim of his top hat.

"Oh ho. If it isn't Eyepatch." Tyki Mik said, flashing a sinister grin. "So, how are you enjoying our little game?"

* * *

It had happened rather suddenly. Kanda had been filling his canteen at a small water reserve, when it happened. The sound reverberated through the air like a shot, as loud and menacing as a thunder clap. It was a sound he was quite familiar with, a loud crack along with a resonance of tearing, heavy and wet. It was the sound of rupturing flesh and breaking bones; the sound of an Akuma's release. It was the groaning and screaming of a soul trapped, begging for release; of a demonic killing machine preparing for slaughter.

"Shit," Kanda muttered to himself. He dropped the canteen, and with practiced agility, Kanda turned on his heels and accelerated into a full run. It didn't take long to reach the clearing where he had left Linalee and the villagers, and his hand was already on Mugan, pulling the sword from the sheath in one quick motion.

He found the villagers all huddled together, shaking and screaming. "Where?" Kanda hissed out through clenched teeth as he looked around. One of the villagers pointed a trembling finger past the bushes and deep into the forests that bordered the canal.

"Stay here," Kanda instructed the group. The order was hissed through clenched teeth, fairly spat at them in a way that they simply could not disagree with, despite the fact that they had no idea what he had just said. Still, his tone of voice managed to convey wordlessly that whatever _this_ was…it was dangerous. And so, the group obliged, a few nodding their heads, though most just huddling together, their arms enveloping each other, eyes tightly shut.

"Kanda."

Kanda turned abruptly, Mugen unsheathed and pointed at the direction of the voice. Friendly voices weren't always so friendly, he's learned. Danger was never far, it was never alone, and it was never easy. His eyes narrowed as Linalee's passive face appeared from between the bushes.

"Thank goodness you're alright," she said, her eyes downcast and lidded heavily.

Kanda's eyes darkened. Something here was definitely not right. Those eyes were too dark and that full mouth wasn't pouting or smiling or even frowning. Her lips were pulled in a straight line, as unemotional as her voice, despite the sentimental words. "Who are you?" Kanda asked.

Linalee met his gaze. "Linalee." An irritatingly direct answer.

Kanda thrust his sword forward, the tip pressing directly under the girl's chin. "You're a liar," he growled. "Now I'll ask one more time. Who are you?"

Those taunt lips pulled into the barest hint of a smirk and Kanda paused in alarm. He immediately regretted the act as something gleaming, black, and obviously dangerous whipped toward his face. Kanda jumped backwards, just barely managing to dodge as he felt a sharp, metallic sting slide across his face.

The group of villagers screeched, the sight of blood sending them into frenzy. Kanda almost yelled for them to stay put, after all, running around aimlessly with an uncertain enemy afoot was hardly the wisest idea. However, Kanda couldn't be sure that it was safe here either. Besides, those people weren't his mission, and this, whatever it was, appeared to be far more interesting.

"Tch," Kanda grunted, swiping at the blood that dripped languidly down the curve of his cheek. He watched as 'Linalee' brought the nail of her index finger, now shining and black and about two feet in length, to her mouth. She darted her tongue out, licking along the length of her nail, lapping at the small smear of blood.

"Pity about your pretty face," she said, lazily.

Kanda didn't reply, but placed his feet firmly on the ground. He held his sword long in front of his chest, and drew in a breath as he slid his fingers along the side of the blade. "Innocence, activate." Mugen responded its consent by illuminating under the ministrations. Kanda felt the connection, the warmth of the innocence and the power surge, starting from the area right above his heart and swelling through his body, as if the glow of the sword was running through his veins. "Who are you," he asked again, opening his eyes wider and holding his blade out defensively.

"I suppose I've been found out," Linalee drawled. She shook the hair from her face, the motion causing the hair at the base of her neck to grow out, swirling around her in a long, black ponytail. Her body changed: breasts swelled, legs and arms lengthen along with the torso. Her outfit slipped away from the exorcist jacket into a form fitting black suit as her skin darkened from the warm, pink roundness of Linalee's face into a sharp, cool beauty with lidded yellow eyes.

"Noah," Kanda hissed, eyeing the series of crosses that peeked from beneath feathered bangs.

"You may call me Lulu Bell, the Noah of Lust," she explained with a graceful sweep of her long fingered hand. "This shall be our first meeting, and most regrettably, our last. It seems I need to dispose of you rather quickly."

Kanda planted his feet more firmly, raising Mugen a little higher, a bit more offensively. "And what makes you think you won't be the one that gets disposed?" Kanda didn't wait for an answer, and lunged forward as he brought Mugen down hard. There came the scrape of metal against metal and Kanda felt resistance as Lulu Bell pushed back with five nails, now gleaming black, exceptionally long and quite solid. She brought up her other hand, swiping at Kanda's unprotected left side. Kanda ducked back and fluidly switched to a defensive stance, though not before the nails grazed deeply into his side. He grunted, hand clasping against his side and blood leaked from between his fingers.

Kanda rose to his feet, eyes narrowing as he placed Mugen between himself and his enemy. The sword illuminated in anticipation of the words that followed: "Kaichuu: Ichigen!" He sliced the blade through the air, releasing a small swarm of screaming hell-beasts. The insects were dispatched as quickly and effortlessly as they were formed with a wave of Lulu Bell's hand.

"Pitiful," she said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "Is that all?"

"Hardly," said Kanda. He straightened and shifted Mugen firmly into his right hand, its scabbard into his left. "Nigentou," Kanda instructed. Mugen hummed with its power and the light slipped around the small of his back, connecting to the sheath clutched in Kanda's left hand, forming two larger, glowing, and rather deadly looking swords.

"Interesting," Lulu Bell said, flexing her fingers.

Kanda responded with an attack. He thrust forward, up, down, chasing each of her movements with the edge of his swords. With each swing, he grew more and more agitated as she side stepped each of his attacks with ease. Every slice and stroke of Mugen missed it's mark, yet each of Lulu Bell's lazy, flippant strike made contact with skin; drawing blood if he was lucky, piercing flesh if he wasn't.

"Tch," Kanda muttered, falling to one knee on the ground. His hands were clenched tightly around the twin blades, knuckles white where they weren't red, raw, and oozing blood. The fight just barely started, and already, Kanda found himself at a humongous loss.

"Boring," Lulu Bell sighed, picking at one of her nails. She flicked some of the gore away in small, pulpy chunks of flesh. Kanda watched her, eyes blazing and lips pulling back into a snarl.

"I'm not done yet," Kanda said, his mouth curling into a definitive smirk. He still had one ace left and Kanda was never one to hold back. "Shouka," he muttered low to himself. He felt the change in his body, the veins appear around his eyes, his vision changing as his pupils dilated and split into three. "Kinki Sangen-"

"Stop!"

Kanda stopped mid-incantation at the voice. No, it couldn't be…could it? Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lulu Bell turn with great interest and two figures stepped from between the bushes. Linalee took one look at Kanda's condition and hopped over to his side, her Dark Boots leaving shining streaks in her wake. She stumbled a bit as she stopped, steadying herself against Kanda's side, her hands splayed on his shoulders. Kanda made a motion to pull away, but Linalee's hands were on his back, worry etched in every look. "Are you alright? Can you stand?"

"I'm fine," Kanda pulled himself to his feet, keeping one sword pointed at the Noah.

"Sorry for the intrusion," General Teidoll said, pushing his glasses further up on his nose. He waved a hand politely in Lulu Bell's direction after regarding his apprentice with a smile. "Lulu Bell , I think it was, if I remember correctly."

"And you are General Frio Teidoll," Lulu Bell offered back, her voice carrying the same polite tones.

"Ah, so you know me?" The General laughed modestly and scratched at his nose, giving him the impression of a large, bushy child. "I wonder when I got so popular amongst somebody so young."

"I don't need your help," Kanda hissed, interrupting.

"Ah, so it would appear," Teidoll said, peering over his shoulder at his wounded apprentice.

Kanda growled. He slid one of the blades into the ground as a crutch to steady himself. "I can handle this."

"Obviously," the General said, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I've always said that you were quite capable of handling yourself. And one of your strong points has always been your ability to ask for help."

A very prominent twitch appeared above Kanda's left eye, and his fist clenched at his side. "I said I'm fine."

"Why, yes, Yuu. I would be glad to assist you. Thank you for asking."

"Kanda," Linalee urged gently as Kanda bristled further.

"I don't need any help," Kanda sneered, brushing her away. His eyes narrowed as their hands connected and he noticed that Linalee's were practically radiating heat.

"I know. But I think I do," Linalee said as her knees buckled. Kanda dropped his sheath, wrapping an arm around her waist to steady her and lowered her gently to the ground.

"Hey!" Kanda frowned at the girl cradled in his arms, her head tucked to his chest. Her breath came in small rasps and her face was flushed with fever. "Damn Beansprout."

* * *

Ah- So now the secret is out. Come on, who didn't see that coming a mile away? I hope the title makes a bit more sense now. Heh. This chapter is probably the longest one yet and I still had a hard time finding a stopping place. There was just a lot that needed to happen. And there are more explanations to come in the next chapter, not to mention some Lavi vs Tiki action!

Yes, I kept Kanda's moves in Japanese, simply because "Nigentou" sounds way better than "Double Illusion Blades". Ugh. Also, somebody pointed out to me that I had anonymous reviews disabled. I've enabled them for now, but please no spamming?

Next chapter may be a little late, as I would like to try and get the next chapter of "Campaigning for Heretics" out. Ah, Link -heart-

Questions, Comments, Crits and Love are always appreciated. Thanks for the comments and thanks for reading :D


	18. Chapter 18

Mozart's Spirit

(A D.Gray Man fanfiction)

By P.A. Lovas

Pairings: Lavi/Allen, with some Kanda/Linalee.

* * *

18.

His hate was palpable. He was sure if his hands weren't gripped so tightly around his innocence, he might have simply plucked it out of the air and rolled it between his fingers. As it was, he already felt it quite keenly pumping through his veins, narrowing his eye and pulling his lips into a snarl. The hate poisoned him, made him drop his carefully arranged mask; made him curl his fingers around his hammer and hiss between his teeth.

"What game?" Lavi said, biting on the hate. It tasted bitter. He pushed it back, hearing Bookman's gravelly voice chant the mantras he knew so well into his mind. It was all about gathering information, the one thing they've been lacking all this time. As much as he'd _love_ to smash his hammer into Tyki's face and falter that smug grin with a rush of blood and sharp, ivory teeth, Lavi had to wait. Within whatever wordplay Lavi knew was waiting, there may be an answer to all the questions that had hung precariously in the air over the past week. His gaze fell to Allen. Maybe he could find a solution.

Tyki's grin slipped away into a haughty tug at his lips as he flicked at some imaginary lint on his sleeve. He was feigning boredom. "Not too quick on the uptake, are we, Eye-patch?" Tyki fixed him with a patronizing look. "And here I thought you were supposed to be so clever."

"Shut up," Lavi hissed, as Tyki picked at Lavi's complex, prodding his guilt. "Just shut the hell up!"

"Well, this is a familiar scenario." Tyki stroked his chin, peering off to the side in thought. "Aside from the rustic backdrop, I'd say this was _dead_ on. Pardon the pun, of course."

Lavi visibly bristled at the comment. "Shut up!" He reeled back, adrenaline mixing through with the loathing, causing him to pull his arms back, lifting his innocence from the ground. His only wish at that moment was to smash that condescending look into the grimy, wood floor. Nothing else mattered.

Lavi whirled around as a glint caught the corner of his eye, aiming in his direction. He jumped out of the way just in time as a stream of needles surged forward, black and menacing and spindled with fine, golden threads. "Gramps! Marie!" Lavi said, shock creeping into his voice.

"Moron," Bookman said, rolling his eyes. "Don't sound so surprised."

"Yeah, yeah," Lavi said, smiling down at Bookman. He thumbed his nose, his grin turning up to bear his teeth as he sneered at Tyki. "Looks like you're outnumbered."

"That's true," Tyki said, though his voice was cool and unruffled. Somehow, that managed to make him all the more terrifying. "But I do have something that you don't."

"Yeah, a crappy complexion," Lavi said.

Tyki laughed, and removed his hat to run a hand through his slick, dark hair. "Clever. No what I was referring to, was this." Tyki looked down at Allen, unconscious and shivering at his feet.

"Don't you dare," Lavi said, visible eye narrowing.

"Or what?" Tyki smirked and placed his foot alongside Allen's head. He tapped against the temple, causing Allen's head to roll to the side, tucking against his shoulder.

"Stop!" Lavi took a step forward, his knuckles white around the handle of his innocence. He turned in confusion as Bookman threw out a shriveled hand, successfully suspending his attack. Lavi could only look down at him, wide eyed and gaping.

Bookman simply shook his head from side to side; a silent "don't be rash".

Lavi growled in the back of his throat, his eyes flickering between Allen and Tyki, his mind grasping wildly for a plan; for some way to rescue Allen. But Tyki had the upper hand, and his foot firmly placed on Allen's head. One step, a _slip_, from Tyki with his abilities…. Lavi shivered as he saw the events unfold in his mind's eye. With just a thought, Tyki could pass through Allen's head, past the delicate orb of skull, and into the meaty flesh of his brain. If that happened, there was no way Allen would survive.

Tyki continued to smile at Lavi, his eyes low, seeming to dare him to move. But Lavi knew Tyki's intent, saw what the future might hold. Lavi refused to play chicken with Allen's life, so he just held his ground and seethed internally.

The silence held for what seemed like minutes. The exorcists refused to move, but weapons were at the ready and statures pulled taunt and ready to pounce should the opportunity present itself…or worse: should Tyki make a further move on Allen. Gazes would occasionally flit between each other, as if trying to gauge their comrade's thoughts, or in Lavi's case, making sure he didn't do anything rash and stupid.

Lavi was getting noticeably more tense, a sheen of sweat beading below his headband. His jaw was set, almost painfully so, and his hands were grinding and twisting at the handle of his hammer. It appeared he was using every ounce of his willpower to stay stationary and Bookman mused that if looks alone could kill, Lavi would have ended this battle long ago.

"Well this is boring," Tyki said. He heaved a sigh and reached into his breast pocket, acquiring a cigarette which he pressed between his lips.

Lavi turned to Bookman, and nodded his head once in Tyki's direction. Bookman's eyes narrowed as he watched Tyki fumble in his pocket for a lighter. But his foot was still secured on Allen's temple, as if challenging them. Bookman shook his head. Clearly, this was still part of the game.

Tyki inhaled deeply, smiling around the cigarette. He clicked his tongue at the group before dropping to a crouch next to Allen. "Un uh," Tyki said as Lavi inched his foot forward. Tyki placed a hand on Allen's chest, and effortlessly pushed his hand through. "You know, I always wondered what happened," Tyki said, aloud, though to who was uncertain. "If I had simply ripped out his heart back then, do you think he would have survived?" Tyki smiled around his cigarette, his eyes meeting Lavi's, darkening in amusement.

"Don't," Lavi said, choking on his panic, causing his voice to come out small and ragged.

"Shall we find out?" Tyki's voice lowered to a whisper, daring and condensing.

"Don't!" Lavi stepped forward, hoisting his innocence to an offensive stance.

"Lavi!" Bookman said, scolding.

"What's the difference?" Lavi shouted to Bookman, though his gaze never left Tyki. "If we fight, he'll kill him. If we do nothing, he'll kill him! So what's the difference?" Lavi's voice lowered, and he turned to Bookman offering the smallest ghost of a smile. "I can't just sit back and do nothing, Gramps, not again. It almost killed me last time. I…I have to try."

Bookman shook his head. "Idiot," he muttered, but pulled out his needles and nodded once to Marie. The decision was final: They would fight.

The pain was unrelenting, blinding and white hot. It ran through his body, making him gasp and cry out against his will. Allen pushed it aside, tried to lift himself from his knees. But the ache seemed to sit on his shoulders; that area between his shoulder blades where it weighed heavy and sharp, pushing him back down.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been stuck like that, face pressed into the ground, consciousness fading in and out. Sometimes, all he saw was the darkness in front of him, that smoke-shadowed floor. Other times, he saw a house, small and dilapidated, but in some way, it was warm and familiar. And in the middle of it all, there was a boy with the saddest green eye, watching him so intently.

He knew the boy, Allen was sure of that. He felt familiar, nostalgic and somehow, so very precious. The boy's name would come to him in spurts, but as soon as it passed his lips, it was gone. Over and over again, Allen would pull his eyes open, and he would want to sooth the owner of that eye, say something to make that sorrowful expression smooth into a smile. So Allen would talk, though his own words wouldn't reach his ears. But whatever he said, never seemed to sooth the melancholy boy with the green eye. And soon, the boy was gone, and Allen found himself alone. He was shrouded in the darkness, the only sounds his own pained grunts and the shrill giggling that swirled through the air and into his mind in vibrant colors of turquoise and pink.

The laughter seemed to echo in time with his heartbeat, and Allen wondered if, perhaps, it was an extension of himself. But why would he be laughing? This was hardly a humorous situation, and Allen felt anything but comical. There was a gnawing feeling in the back of his mind, screaming to him, panicked and urgent.

_Enemy?_ Allen asked, as the word floated into his mind. _Could this be my enemy?_ Allen could swear that something inside of him nodded, before returning to the whorls of his mind, settling into a warm, green glow. Allen watched the swirling colors, marveling at their sheen and clarity. They really were beautiful. But, perhaps his feeling had been right, after all, nothing else in this lackluster hell seemed to shine so bright or seem so real.

"Who are you?" Allen said aloud.

The colors giggled in response. "Allen…" The way they said his name was so familiar, that pause between the syllables and the soft, yet patronizing tone that spoke not of promises, but of pain.

"Do I know you?" Allen asked. He searched his mind for the answer, but everything was fuzzy and jumbled. His own name seemed to be the only thing that he was sure of, and even that seemed to be slipping away.

Allen watched as the colors swirled together, faster and faster, melting together into shadow. The laughter pitched higher, almost melodic as they condensed and congealed into shapes. It stretched and swelled until it resembled something almost human, a dark shadow that managed to remain frightening, despite the wide pull of a smile cut across what Allen assumed was supposed to be its face.

* * *

The shadowy figure moved forward, a hand outstretched and Allen wanted nothing more than to scramble away. But the weight on his shoulders wouldn't move, and the nearer the figure came, the heavier it seemed. Allen's face was pushed flat against the murky floor, his nostrils breathing in the shadows.

"Allen…Walker…." The shadow said, its voice no longer feminine and high. It now reminded Allen of his own, but darker. It held the same tone, the same emphasis on words and light timbre, but it was deeper and more sinister.

Allen cried out, trying in vain to raise his head. He could see the shadow out of the corner of his eye, coming closer…and closer. "Who are you?" He asked again.

"Allen…Walker…."

"Tell me!"

"Allen…Walker…."

Something in his mind nagged at him. The way the shadow spoke, it didn't seem as if it was calling to him. What if it was answering the question that Allen kept asking? All at once, everything snapped into place: The voice, the clothes, the lanky gate; It was like Allen was watching an inverse of himself.

"You…" Allen tilted his head as much as he was able. "You're me, aren't you?"

The smile pulled wider in response as the shadow continued to say his name, over and over, as if it was a song. It reached out a blackened hand to Allen, and hesitanly, Allen placed his hand in the offered one. All at once, the weight vanished, so suddenly that Allen fell forward, face smacking the ground once more.

"Ow," Allen whimpered, rubbing at his nose with his free hand. The shadow's shoulders heaved once. A laugh, maybe? Allen wasn't sure. Allen watched the figure, warily, but marveled at the warmth of the hand. It was warm and somehow, felt alive. "Who are you?" Allen asked again, though this time, it was simply curious.

The shadow just cocked its head to the side and continued to smile. Allen mused that maybe even shadows could grow weary of repetition.

"Why are you here?" Allen tried. He obviously wasn't going to get anywhere with the other question. The shadow's mouth remained still, stretched into that incessant grin. Apparently, it didn't much care for that question either. Allen sighed as he pulled his hand away and look around. With his nose pressed against the floor, he hadn't gotten much of a feel for his surroundings before. Though, standing up straight hardly made the situation any clearer.

The ground was covered with thick dense smoke, swirling up into elaborate plumes, dancing and swaying and entirely fake. The parts of the floor he could see were sometimes purple, sometimes pink, and it took Allen a minute to gather that ground was covered in large checkered boxes; like a flamboyant chess board. A few feet before him, the checkers appeared skewed and warped, dripping over the edge and Allen reached out, running the tip of his foot along the path. It stayed solid and flat. The floor was an illusion, Allen realized. The areas that seemed to turn and twist and drop were straight and safe. Did that means the solid parts would crumble or tip? Allen shivered, deciding it best not to move carelessly.

Allen took a few caution steps, watching his feet, or more aptly, the floor beneath them. He shuffled along, so intent on watching for sudden cracks or invisible chasms that he didn't notice the wall that materialized in his path. Allen yelped as his head smacked firmly into the obstruction and he jumped back, out of harm's way, should the wall suddenly grow arms or legs or rows of sharp teeth and had a taste for teenage boys. In a place like this, wherever _this_ was, Allen wasn't willing to take any chances.

He allowed himself a step forward, breathing easier when the wall managed to stay stationary. Allen lifted a hand, running it along the surface. It was tall and strong, jutting in areas, but overall, it was smooth and made small crinkling noises under his touch. Allen looked up at the wall, realizing it wasn't a wall at all, at least, not 

traditionally. It was a high-rise of what looked like presents, all wrapped in colorful paper and topped with lavish bows.

"Where are we?" Allen asked, turning to the shadow.

The shadow continued to smile infuriatingly, but slowly, its mouth opened wide and it spoke in an echo of Allen's voice. "Home."

* * *

AN: Wow...long time no see! Yes, the story is still alive and no, I'm not dead. I've just been suffering through a major case writer's block that appears to have made itself at home and is rather hesitant to leave. I've managed to endure enough to put out a chapter, as small and sad as it turned out. Sorry guys. But we're almost done with just a few more chapters to go.

Now that I've got my excuses out of the way (heh), I want to say how stunned and incredibly MOVED I am that even though I wasn't here, you guys were still reading, commenting, and PMing me with love (and even some minor threats. Yikes!). I apologize for not responding to everybody who commented. I have no excuse other than being lazy and getting depressed whenever I came on. I'm sure a lot of you are familiar with the crushing depression of a writer's block. But I have read each and every one of them, and I can't believe the things some of you had to say. I'm seriously touched and thank you for taking the time to write to me. I love you all, I really do. And it's for that reason that I rolled up my sleeves, cracked open my laptop and decided to try and finish this monster. You will see updates, hopefully soon. Again, thank you so much for the support. It really means the world to me : )

Snaps to Renee for helping me trudge through this chapter and enjoying the Tyki I wrote (I still worry over him being OOC. Tyki's such an enigma, huh?) I love you, Ray-nay! 3

Questions, Comments, Crits and Love are always appreciated. Thanks for the comments and thanks for reading :D


	19. Chapter 19

Mozart's Spirit

(A Man fanfiction)

By P.A. Lovas

Pairings: Lavi/Allen, with some Kanda/Linalee.

* * *

19.

It felt odd having to control his movements, Lavi discovered. His innocence was built to be rather ostentatious and fighting in such a small, fragile environment was against its very nature. It put him at a large disadvantage, especially with Tyki hovering so close to Allen. It was as if he was daring him to miss or maybe even willing him to bring the whole house to ruins around them; Tyki would survive, at least.

Lavi swore, berating himself for his lack of concentration. This was certainly not the best time to let his mind wander into mundane territories. Lavi forced his efforts back to the situation at hand, keeping his eyes and consciousness on the battle before him.

As soon as the resolution to fight had been reached, the three exorcists had fallen into their proper places, the strategy basic and perhaps a bit more cautious than usual: Marie stood defensively, his unseeing-eyes closed and ears perked. Should Tyki so much as flex a muscle, Marie would know and his threads were ready strike whatever limb offered threat to Allen.

Bookman moved on the offensive, quickly and deliberately in an attempt to push Tyki away. As Tyki faltered in an attempt to avoid the attack, Bookman fell back. Instead, he began focusing his needles on Allen's prone form. One by one the needles stabbed through the floor, tossing splinters and sickening cracks across the room. With Allen now safely incased in Bookman's protective shell, Lavi brought his hammer up. With a thought, he caused it to swell to twice the previous size.

"My turn!" Lavi cried out, lips pulled back from clenched teeth as he swung wildly at Tyki. Miss, miss, miss. Each blunder shook the house painfully, the dilapidated walls seeming to bend and shiver in time. Even with Lavi holding back, he was rather surprised when the walls didn't dissipate into piles of scrap wood. Maybe they had picked a decent place to seek their refuge. _Perhaps God is with us, after all._

The stray thought offered Lavi a newfound strength, and he called for his innocence to expand further with each swing. "Grow! Grow! Damn it, stay still!"

Tyki's mouth curved, offering a small, bored smile. He continued to dodge each of Lavi's paltry attacks, puffing infuriatingly on the cigarette dangling from his lips. "Having trouble keeping up, Eyepatch?"

"I thought you wanted to fight," Lavi said. "Not dance."

"No fair, Tyki! You never dance with me!"

Lavi turned toward the new voice with bated breath, his heart plummeting with realization. Hovering precariously before him was the very thing that he had been dreading ever since the puzzle pieces began fitting together. Lavi's heart clenched in his chest as his gaze met the smiling, yellow eyes.

"Have you missed me, Junior?"

* * *

He wasn't entirely sure how he had gotten here. Allen faintly remembered something about a shadow. He strained to remember. There was a flash of something in his mind; a dark silhouette, wispy and unnatural, revealing a hidden door in what appeared to be an impenetrable high-rise. He looked behind him, as if trying to ascertain the truth from such a simple act. Everything seemed to be receding from his mind so quickly, and after a moment, even the reason for his action was forgotten. Allen's mind appeared to be retaining nothing, and he was unable to grasp for long anything but the uncomplicated task of moving forward. He would have been worried, if he could even remember to be.

Allen raised his eyes, straining them down the long corridor. The ceiling was high and the walls narrow, covered in red and black pinstripes, and yet, it didn't give the impression of being overwhelming or foreboding. Somehow it emanated a self-satisfied aura, amidst all the madness. A concentration of paintings hung haphazardly along the walls in a sort of deliberate montage to chaos, and he found his steps halted and his gaze stolen more than once. Each picture was different, dark and should have been frightening, and yet, they were childish and comical in their façade; reds shaded in green and yellow, blues with orange and gold. It was dark, and yet, somehow, it felt nostalgic, almost warm. A word flashed in his mind like a memory, small and foreign. He tried to bring the word out, tried to remember. It was like trying to catch smoke with bare hands, and Allen could only sigh as the hopelessness set in. He supposed if it was important, he'd remember it eventually. With that in mind, Allen continued down the long hallway, but it wasn't long before that thought vanished as well.

Allen slowed his movement as the hall came to an abrupt end. A lone picture hung on the wall and he leaned forward, peering at it in the hazy light. The painting was of a clown in what appeared to be a field, dancing beside a withering tree. The composition seemed amateur, all sharp planes and wide lines. But something about this picture was familiar to him, haunting, and a little scary. Allen reached out his hand and ran it down the clown's image, slowly; from the top of his cap, past the wide, toothy grin, all the way down to the toe loop of his elfin shoes. A memory stirred in Allen, unattainable but sincere. He questioned the pain in his heart, as he lowered his hand.

His hand brushed against something smooth and blunt protruding from the wall, and Allen leaned in for a closer look. A doorknob, Allen realized. Upon closer inspection, it appeared that it wasn't a solid wall at all, but a door, in the same black and red pinstripes, with the knob painted black to match the section that it was secured against. It wasn't really surprising that he had nearly missed it, Allen assured himself, reaching out. The knob turned easily in his hand and the door swung open with no resistance. A single step took him inside. The door shut quietly behind him.

Allen walked carefully, peering over his shoulder from time to time, trying to keep an eye on the door. Somewhere deep in the recesses of his mind, something made Allen aware of the possibility of trouble. Should the need arise, Allen knew it would be prudent to remember the door's location. Another look over his shoulder told Allen that everything was still in sight, but his attention was stolen as he felt a soft crunching under his foot.

He couldn't believe it. Out of the darkness before him, nature began to spring to life. Grass sprouted over the rolling hills and the breeze that wrapped around him was warm and spoke of spring. Even in the distance, he could hear birds chirping harmoniously, almost as if in greeting. Allen gaped as he walked along the path that formed beneath each step, with the obvious intent of leading him forward. The importance of the door was forgotten as each step took him further along the path. A bit further, he came across a tree that stood strongly in the center, its powerful roots twisting into the ground, and after a moment, Allen realized that there was a figure beside the tree, crouching over a small mound of packed earth.

He seemed somehow familiar to Allen. He was a tall man, all arms and legs and the top hat that balanced on the crown of his head made him appear even taller. Every curve of the figure, every move the man made, echoed unmistakably in Allen's heart and his steps became heavier the closer Allen came. The man looked up as Allen approached and their eyes met. In that moment, Allen felt the tears well in his eyes and a name, so familiar that he had once uttered so frequently fell past his lips.

"Mana…."

* * *

The air surrounding the inside the house steadily thickened and Lavi was certain that, soon, he would be unable to breathe. Even now, each breath was labored, burning his chest. Whether it was from the fight or simply the anxiety of what lay before them, he was uncertain. Lavi said nothing, just focused on the slow, steady intake of air into his lung. He raised his face and glared into those smug, yellow eyes that mocked him with their cheer.

"Road Kamelot." Bookman was the first to speak. He was using the tone that Lavi knew he reserved for processing information to be documented later.

Road giggled in response. She began rocking back and forth from her seated position on Lero, her long legs securely locked around the pink length of the umbrella. "Yep! You didn't think I'd let you guys leave me out of all the fun, did you? How mean!" Road crossed her arms in front of her chest, pushing her lips into a pout. "First Lulu takes off after the princess, and now Tyki's here trying to wreck everything."

Tyki rolled his eyes, and spoke easily, in a tone showing reserved patience. "I'm not wrecking anything. This is still your game. I'm just here as a casual observer."

Road crinkled her nose and stuck her tongue out at Tyki. "Boo! You're just here to steal my Allen."

Lavi's his visible eye darkening dangerously. "Princess…? What have you done to Lenalee?!"

"Easy there, Junior," Road said, focusing her attention back onto the group. "You wouldn't want anything to happen to your friends, now would you?"

"What's that hell is that supposed to mean?"

The question was answered as a scream tore its way from the kitchen.

"Krowly!" Miranda called out, panic and tears evident in her voice. "Kr-Kr-Krowly!"

"What the hell did you do?!" Lavi yelled.

"Oops. I slipped." Road giggled, swinging her legs back and forth in an oddly childish gesture. "You guys better not move," she instructed. "Or else I just may slip again."

Lavi's fists clenched as he looked around helplessly. Marie seemed to be visibly shaken, something that Lavi hadn't witnessed too often. Marie's hands were pulling the strings from his innocence so tightly that it drew small drops of blood that began to slowly drip between his fingers.

"Miranda," Lavi called. "Are you guys OK?"

"I-I-I don't k-k-know," Miranda answered back. "H-he's not m-moving. My time record is-isn't affecting him."

"Don't panic," Bookman said.

"Yeah, that's right. It'll take more than whatever these guys can do to bring Kro-chan down. Just…stay put," Lavi told her, from between clenched teeth. He closed his eyes in a moment of hopelessness. _Sorry, Kro-chan, I need you to hang in there just a bit longer. We'll try to make this quick._ After the silent declaration, Lavi opened his eyes, and returned his focus to the smiling Noah.

"I'm going to beat the absolute shit out of all of you."

Road laughed at the remark, while Tyki simply shrugged his shoulders.

"So you say, Eyepatch."

"Shut up!"

"You're forgetting one thing, Junior," Road said, leaning over Lavi in a taunting fashion. "You're in my game now. If you don't follow the rules, then it's game over."

"What?"

"There's only one piece on the board in play," Road said and Lavi felt his blood run cold. He knew Road was looking over his shoulder, at where Allen lay beneath Bookman's protective casing. "You're just going to have to wait your turn."

"What are you planning?"

The cheery smile that spread across Road's face contradicted the words that fell past her lips. "I'm going to break him apart."

* * *

AN: I know I know, I'm horrible at getting this story updated, and such a short chapter this time. I'm sorry. There are about 101 excuses as for why this took so long, but I won't bore you all with them. Just know that this will be finished, albeit, slowly. I really do appreciate all the comments and love that you all have shown this story as well as to me, and I promise that we will reach the end. Thanks for hanging in there with me!

Other news…Campaigning for Heretics will be put on hiatus for now, do to having NO idea where I wanted the story to go and Lavi's complexity as a character. I have a couple new stories in mind, and a few pages written for each, so we'll see where those end up. I don't know about you guys, but I'm antsy for Hoshino to get better and give us some new chapters. As I'm sure with all of you, my heart goes out to her and I wish her a speedy speedy SPEEDY recovery. Please? D:

Questions, Comments, Crits and Love are always appreciated. Thanks for the comments and thanks for reading :D


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